Suspected Fulani militia have killed scores and destroyed property worth millions of naira in coordinated attacks on several communities and places of worship in Nigeria’s mainly Christian-populated Middle Belt region.
Just barely a week after the Agwan Rukuba, Jos Palm Sunday attack which resulted in over 30 fatalities, other acts of arson across the region have been orchestrated in a peculiar pattern.
In a statement dated 6th April 2026 signed by the National Publicity Secretary of Berom Youth Moulders-Association (BYM), Rwang Tengwong decried that two were killed in an attack in Heipang adding that a suspect was arrested to that effect.
He disclosed that “Fulani armed terrorists invaded Pwomol Village in Heipang District of Barkin Ladi Local Government Area around midnight, marking the second attack on the Heipang community within one week.
“The assault resulted in the killing of two youths of the community who were keeping watch, while one other victim sustained critical injuries and is currently receiving medical attention.”
Tengwong revealed that “In the course of the incident, one of the attackers, identified as Suleiman, a Fulani man from Fass community in Riyom Local Government Area, was apprehended alive at about 1:00 a.m,” emphasising that “The suspect was arrested around the Redemption Camp area between Heipang and Kassa, with blood stains reportedly found on his body.”
According the BYM leader, the suspect “is currently in the custody of security operatives at Sector 4 in Barkin Ladi.”
The socio-cultural group called “on security agencies to carry out a thorough and transparent investigation into the attack and ensure that the arrested suspect is brought to justice without delay,” and demanded that “the suspect be made to provide useful information that will lead to the arrest of other perpetrators and collaborators involved in the attack.”
They commended the immediate intervention of the Special Task Force, Operation Enduring Peace, urging “residents of the area to remain vigilant and cooperate with security agencies by reporting suspicious movements and activities within their communities.”
BYM used the occasion to express commitment to “the protection of lives and the pursuit of justice for victims of violent attacks across Berom land and beyond.”
Meanwhile, recent attacks by suspected Fulani militia are primarily targeted on Christian communities and places of worship in the Middle Belt.
Barely 24 hours after Bola Tinubu visited the Jos airport to condole with the victims of earlier violence in the state, at least three people were killed in a fresh attack on Nyango Gyel community of Jos South LGA of the state.
According to residents, the attackers launched the assault on the community around 10:40 pm and fired sporadic gunshots on innocent people.
There have been major attacks and incidents across Southern Kaduna, Benue axis, and parts of Nasarawa state, with scores feared dead.
In Ariko Village, Kachia LGA, Kaduna State, gunmen on motorcycles attacked two churches—the First ECWA Church and St. Augustine Catholic Church—during Easter services.
In these attacks, local church officials and residents said 8 people were killed, but the military claimed only 5 people lost their lives.
In another twist, surrounding abductions and rescue claims, the Nigerian Army claimed it rescued 31 hostages following a fierce firefight, but both the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and local leaders have disputed this claim, stating that the victims are still with their abductors.
In a similar attack in Mbalom Community, Gwer East LGA of Benue State, armed assailants suspected to be of Fulani extraction invaded the community on Easter Sunday.
In violence across Guma Local Government Area (LGA), 11 people were killed on April 6 Agena community (Mbalom).
Residents told Advocatus Africa that the Fulani militia opened fire on residents and destroyed numerous houses and property worth millions of naira in the attack that left at least 17 dead, with several others reportedly missing.
A community member told Advocatus Africa that four people, a man, his two sons and his next door neighbour were also killed in cold blood by Fulani attackers in Imande Dem-Mbabiem under Uvir Council Ward in Guma LGA of Benue State.
Some bodies of victims of the Imande Dem-Mbabiem under Uvir Council Ward in Guma LGA of the Benue State.
Another area affected by violence and killings is Nasarawa State, where there is reportedly a death toll of over 26 across coordinated locations.
Meanwhile, in the north-western state of Zamfara, the Nigerian military engaged in an offensive operation on Easter Sunday, following a mass abduction earlier in the week where gunmen seized residents from multiple villages in the state and reportedly killed 65 bandits.
The Principal Advisor for Global Religious Freedom for the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of African Affairs had urged the Nigerian government to protect lives and property by strengthening security during the Easter celebrations.
In a statement, Walker who described described the attack as unacceptable stated, “We call on the Nigerian government to significantly ramp up security for Christians ahead of and during Easter.”
According to him, “We recognize and appreciate the steps the Government of Nigeria has taken to improve security, however the targeted killing of Christians, especially on Christian holidays, is unacceptable. We urge the Nigerian leadership to engage, and to do so now.”
