The Christians in the central Nigerian state of Plateau cannot rest: around 20 rural, predominantly Christian communities in the Bokkos and Barkin Ladi administrative districts were the target of a series of armed attacks over Christmas 2023. At least 200 people fell victim to the attacks, more than 500 others survived injured and thousands of residents fled. Considerable damage was also caused by arson; more than 1,000 houses were destroyed. Not all bodies have been identified and people are still missing. The exact number of victims cannot yet be determined.

On 25 January 2024, another attack was carried out on a predominantly Christian village called Kwahaslalek in Plateau state; the attackers murdered around 30 residents. More than 100 others were injured and around 1,500 people fled.

In all cases, survivors of the terrorism blame militant Fulani pastoral nomads. These Islamic cattle breeders see the Christian farmers as competitors for land, an increasingly scarce resource in the face of desertification and population growth. The attacks are obviously religiously charged: Islamists have infiltrated the gangs, which are being systematically rearmed. Survivors complain in particular about the lack of defence and impunity: the state’s security forces regularly arrive at the scene of the crime with considerable delay and the authorities’ search for the perpetrators is usually fruitless. Since the beginning of the decade, around 4,000 to 5,000 Christians in Nigeria have fallen victim to jihad attacks every year.