Following the massacre of 22 innocent people by suspected Fulani Ethnic Militia (FEM) in the Kawel Community, Mushere District of Bokkos Local Government Area, Plateau State, on the night of June 21, 2026, Nigeria’s outspoken cleric, Rev. Ezekiel Dachomo, condemned the incident as a “tragic” and traumatic attack.
“Today was one of the most painful days of my life”
“Today was one of the most painful days of my life,” the passionate Pastor stated adding, “with tears in my eyes and a heart full of sorrow, I stood before twenty-two graves.”
Mass burial of victims.
Rev. Dachomo further disclosed that “As I stood among the grieving families, I struggled to find words. The pain was too much. The cries were too deep. The sorrow was overwhelming.
“Yesterday, these people were alive. They sat with their families. They shared meals together. They laughed with their children. They prayed before going to sleep.”
Eulogizing these victims of organised terror, the renowned cleric who has conducted over 100 mass burials lamented that “Some fathers kissed their children goodnight and promised to see them in the morning. Some mothers prepared food for their families and thanked God for another day. Some children slept peacefully beside their parents, believing tomorrow would be another normal day.”
“These are not numbers. These are human beings. These are people who had dreams.”
Suggesting that the dead are not mere data or statistics, he emphasized that “Today, twenty-two precious lives were laid to rest. Twenty-two fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, sons and daughters. Twenty-two people who were made in the image of God.
“These are not numbers. These are human beings. These are people who had dreams. People who had families. People who were loved. People whose lives mattered.”
In his emotional message, the defender of the afflicted in Nigeria’s central region detailed, “As I watched the graves being covered with earth, tears filled my eyes and one question kept echoing in my heart: How many more innocent people must die?
“As I left the burial ground today, I could still hear the cries of mothers mourning their children. I could still see the faces of children who had lost their parents. I could still feel the pain of a community covered in grief.
“How many more children must become orphans? How many more widows must cry themselves to sleep? How many more communities must bury their loved ones? How many more tears must be shed before peace comes?”
“I watched families bury their loved ones.”
The man of God spoke passionately about the agony of the families of the victims who were left on their own to mourn their losses.
Victims are being buried.
“But morning came with tears instead of joy. Today, I watched families bury their loved ones. I watched mothers cry over children they would never hold again. I watched children cry for fathers and mothers who would never return home. I watched wives weep over husbands they deeply loved. I watched elderly parents mourn sons and daughters they had hoped would bury them one day. My heart broke,” he stated.
He narrated that “One little child stood beside a grave and asked, ‘Who will take care of me now? Another cried and asked, ‘Why did they take my father away?” adding that “A grieving widow cried out, ‘What will I tell our children?”
The human rights activist and regional leader of the Church of Christ in Nations (COCiN), Barkin Ladi, posed a set of rhetorical questions on the pain of children whose world has fallen apart, mothers who are heartbroken and whose lives have been shattered.
“Those entrusted with leadership: Do these lives matter? Do these grieving families matter?”
He railed on “those entrusted with leadership,” stressing, “I ask with a broken heart: Do these lives matter? Do these grieving families matter? Do these tears matter? Do these children matter?
Community members, burying their loved ones killed by suspected Fulani Ethnic Militia.
“How many more graves must be dug before lasting protection and peace are brought to these communities? Today, the sound of crying filled the air of Kawel. Strong men wept openly. Women cried uncontrollably. Children held tightly to relatives, afraid and confused. The entire community mourned together. The pain was everywhere.”
Citing various scriptures, the cleric used the occasion to urge the faithful to look beyond their pain, to God who heals the broken-hearted, while praying for the victims and their families.
“May the souls of these twenty-two Christians rest in perfect peace. May their memory never be forgotten. May God comfort every family left behind. And may the peace of Christ reign over our land. Amen,” he prayed.
Editor’s Note: All photos are courtesy of Rev. Ezekiel Dachomo.
