At least 27 Christians have been killed by suspected Fulani Islamists in an attack on Bindi-Jebbu village in Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State in Nigeria’s Middle Belt in the early hours of July 15.
More than 30 armed men stormed the village at around 3am, shooting sporadically and setting several houses ablaze. Local authorities confirmed the number of bodies identified, including a three-year-old girl and nine members of a local pastor’s family burned alive in their home.
Pastor Davou Musa, leader of a 300-strong congregation, had alerted the security forces Operation Safe Haven located just two miles away to suspicious movements by gunmen the previous evening.
Pastor Musa being comforted after losing nine family members in the attack on Bindi-Jebbu on July 15. [Image credit: Truth Nigeria]
“I felt safe that soldiers were around because they came around 6pm [on July 14] on two pickup trucks and even fired their machine guns in the air,” Pastor Musa said.
When the pastor heard gunshots in the early hours of the following morning, he stepped outside to investigate, only to witness the gunmen attacking the house. “They kicked the door down and marched in, shooting and shouting ‘Allahu Akbar (God is the greatest),” he related. “Then they set fire on the building and started shouting, saying they had conquered.”
Mr. Dung Gyang Davou, leader of a civilian defense unit, commented that soldiers from Operation Safe Haven, located just two miles away, arrived two hours late.
Amid calls for increased security, former senator Simon Mwadkon was unequivocal in labeling the attackers. “These people must be called by their name: they are terrorists, and their goal is to decimate the local population and take over this place,” he affirmed, dismissing the oft-presented narrative of clashes between farmers and herders.
The attack came just a week after the Plateau State government announced that it had recruited 150 new “agro-rangers”, security personnel who are tasked with protecting farming communities threatened by militants across the state.
How you can pray
Pray that those mourning the loss of loved ones in this horrific attack will be comforted and draw strength and a peace that surpasses understanding from their faith in the Lord. Pray that the shock and outrage at the killings in Bindi-Jebbu will lead to greater urgency in the authorities applying effective security measures in Plateau State and bringing the perpetrators to justice.
