A Christmas Day massacre that took place in Nigeria is only just reaching the headlines at the end of January. It was the most deadly in a string of attacks that took place during December, highlighting the lack of news attention the persecution of Christians in Nigeria receives from the international press.
Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) reports that the Christmas Day attack occurred in the Diocese of Gboko, in Benue State. An unidentified group of assailants reportedly raided the town of Anwase, killing at least 47 Christians in their parish. The attack was indiscriminate, claiming the lives of adults and children alike.
ACN spoke with the Executive Director of Caritas in the Diocese of Gboko, Fr. Isaiah Ter, who explained the extent of the damage. That day saw eight buildings of St. Mary’s parish burned down, including the church, a clinic, school buildings, and the parish house.
The parish priest and his assistant were able to escape unscathed – attacks on Christian communities in Nigeria often target the priests. The report notes that the pair had to hide in “the bush” for a whole day until they were found and rescued.
While the report was unclear what group was responsible for the attack, ACN notes that much of the violence in the region is due to tensions between the Fulani herdsmen and settled Christian farmers.
Benue state rests in central Nigeria, where the majority Muslim North meets the majority Christian South. Altercations with the herdsmen have been increasingly deadly for Christians, as the herdsmen have been better equipped with automatic weapons of late.
The Diocese of Gboko has had to deal with higher rates of violence than ever in recent decades. The diocese noted that prior to the Christmas attack, there hadn’t even been 100 murders in 2024. After the attack, the year’s death toll was nearly at 150, within the diocese. It also noted that these incidents have led to around 6,800 internally displaced people in Nigeria in 2024, for a total of 14,633 in the region.
