The Nigerian government has been accused of complicity in the protection of lives and livelihoods, with a call for local communities to take to self-defence.
This charge was given at the funeral of seven people who were killed by suspected Fulani at a mining site in Capitex, Kuru community in Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State, north-central Nigeria.
Although military authorities who disclosed that the attack occurred around 1:00 a.m. on Thursday, 22 January 2026, arrived at the scene after the incident, the local miners had lost their lives when the assailants allegedly stormed the site to cart away the mined minerals.
Speaking during the emotional funeral ceremony, American missionary and activist, Alex Barbir, wore a black T-Shirt said, “The blood is in the hands of the government. It is not in your hands.”
On self-defence, he advised, “If the government refuses to defend you, defend yourself. There is no other way. You have the right to have peace; you have the right to live. If the government cares, why will this continue to happen? How many thousands of people will continue to be killed while the government is sitting in their land cruisers and mansions?”
The activist also alleged that “even the DPO did not want me at this funeral. When I entered, they said, there is no need for reporting… I said, how can we not cover death? So, you must stand for the truth. Have the courage and boldness and ultimately, trust in God.
“There is no word that I can tell you that would change this…that can take away your pain… or your grief.”
He promised to stand with the community, saying, “I would rather die standing for the truth than sit in America while my people are oppressed.”
The missionary who is currently building houses in Yelwata, Benue State, for victims whose homes were burnt by suspected Fulani herdsmen, lamented that “while my brothers and sisters are persecuted and massacred, the world is watching; other Christians are just watching,” adding that “Everyone in the world knows what is happening, and they are doing nothing. They chose to just watch.”
He berated the authorities for failing to protect lives, stressing, “Your own government is feeding off the blood of your brothers and sisters. They are profiting from your brothers and sisters.”
The American bemoaned the fact that “thousands of villages around Nigeria have gone extinct,” leaving “rubble, [and] bones… In Yelwata, almost 300 were killed. We are rebuilding the village in Yelwata now. Bones are still on the ground, but the governor says there is no genocide. The one who claims to be a Christian. No genocide, while people are massacred, while blood is being poured out.”
The humanitarian advised the community to stand up for themselves by being bold and courageous.
Acknowledging that standing “for the truth” comes with suffering, he insisted that “the only way that change will happen is if people stand up.”
He urged the community to “act in self-defence” and not allow themselves to be killed or allow their villages to be burnt down, adding, “At some point, you need to do something.”
Barbir pledged to “stand for the truth,” insisting that “The US and the world will know what is happening. They will know that these caskets are not empty. They will know that the people in Kaduna who were kidnapped were kidnapped; it’s not false. It is the truth and so we must stand for the truth.”
He maintained, “It breaks my heart to see what is happening to you. It crosses my heart. But I would rather be in no place than alongside you. Standing with you for what has been done that is so evil and wrong in Nigeria.”
The activist encouraged the people to be on the side of God: “Don’t let this take your ways away from God. But let it push you closer to Christ because the Lord promises that he will never leave nor forsake you…let your hope remain in him.”
On his part, fiery Plateau State cleric Rev. Ezekiel Dachomo toed the same line by urging the people to defend themselves, saying, “Prepare yourself for self-defence. If you cannot defend your people, you are a coward.”
The human rights activist used the occasion to reply to Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi’s accusation “that Christians are burying empty coffins” by ordering the youth to open the coffins amid wails as he kept asking, “Is this an empty coffin?”
On the precarious nature of security in the state, Dachomo observed that “All these people woke up this morning or yesterday evening. They said goodbye. They didn’t know they were not coming back home.
“That is the life of a Christian in Nigeria. They are driving the war so that they will kill us more. I have said it and I will continue to say it.”
He upheld his position that there is Christian genocide in Nigeria, saying, “They paid hired killers from the Fulani terrorists so that they will kill more. So that they will take over the state. Only the God of vengeance can avenge for us.”
The senior cleric in the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN), who serves as the regional Chairman for the Barkin Ladi Local Government Area, took a swipe at those who insinuated that he was critically ill.
“I am alive, I am not dead…Some of you who have cooked up stories that I am finished with. I am alive and I am going to perform the latest burial today.”
