At least 30 people were killed when around 100 gunmen descended on a village in Nigeria’s Christian-majority Plateau State on Sunday August 16.
Suspected Fulani Islamist militants attacked Jwak Maitumbi in Mango Local Government Area at around 7.30am, just as people were preparing for morning church services.
Community youth worker Lonji Zuhumnan said several villagers were gunned down as they ran for safety.
Debris lies strewn on the ground amid the ruins of Jwak Maitumbi village [Image credit: The Guardian Nigeria].
“At the end of the carnage we counted over 30 bodies,” he added. “Several others were injured.”
Zuhumnan said the assault raged for several hours. “Apart from the people they slaughtered, the terrorists also burned down over 50 houses, shops, health centres, churches and food barns.
“They also entered our farms and destroyed crops planted.”
As the attack raged, residents made several calls for help to security services, but soldiers arrived only after the attackers had left, Zuhumnan told reporters.
Plateau State is one of the areas in Nigeria’s Middle Belt worst affected by Islamist terrorist violence, which has claimed the lives of tens of thousands of Christians in recent years.
Figures from the Observatory for Religious Freedom in Africa (ORFA) indicate that 18,915 Christians were killed by Islamists between October 2019 and September 2025. The biggest perpetrators of anti-Christian violence are the Fulani militia, it states.
How you can pray
How you can pray
Ask the Lord to comfort the bereaved and heal the injured. Pray that their needs will be met. Pray that the men of violence will turn from hatred and seek the Lord’s peace.
