List of States in Nigeria that Bandits Once Attacked on Christmas Day and Killed Many People
- Gunmen have repeatedly targeted Nigerian communities during Christmas celebrations, leaving trails of death and destruction
- From Benue to Plateau and Borno, attacks carried out by armed groups and insurgents have claimed hundreds of lives
- These incidents exposed deep security lapses and underscored the vulnerability of rural populations during festive periods
In 2024, ThisDay reported that 11 persons were killed on Christmas Day when gunmen suspected to be herdsmen and Jukum militia attacked communities in Kwande Local Government Area of Benue state.
According to sources, the attackers stormed the villages shortly after residents returned from church services and were preparing for celebrations.
Source: Getty Images
Witnesses said the gunmen fired sporadically and chased people from their homes.
A former aide to the immediate past governor of the state, Solomon Amande, confirmed the incident. He stated that eyewitnesses alleged the attack was carried out by a combined team of armed herdsmen and Jukum militia.
Plateau State Christmas Eve Attack, 2023
In 2023, Amnesty International reported that more than 190 people were killed in Christmas Eve attacks across Plateau state.
The violence spread across over 20 villages in Bokkos and parts of Barkin-Ladi Local Government Area.
Investigators revealed that the gunmen moved from one community to another over a period of 48 hours, killing and destroying property.
The attacks began in Bokkos before spreading into Barkin Ladi, where dozens of people were killed in Hurum, Daruwat, Maiyanga and NTV villages.
Amnesty International described the incident as a result of “inexcusable security lapses” and called on Nigerian authorities to investigate.
Adamawa and Borno States Christmas Eve Attack, 2020
In 2020, the BBC reported that Boko Haram militants raided a Christian village in northeast Nigeria on Christmas Eve, killing at least 11 people.
The attack took place in Pemi, Borno state, close to Chibok where schoolgirls were kidnapped in 2014.
Local sources told AFP that fighters arrived on trucks and motorbikes, shooting indiscriminately and burning down a church.
Boko Haram, which promotes a version of Islam that forbids western education, has carried out repeated attacks in northern Nigeria.
The group’s most infamous assault was the kidnapping of more than 200 schoolgirls in Chibok in 2014, many of whom were held captive for years.
Borno State Christmas Eve Attack, 2019
In 2019, CNN reported that Boko Haram attacked Pemi village in Borno state on Christmas Eve, killing seven people and abducting another seven, including a pastor.
Kachallah Usman, secretary of the Chibok Local Government Area, said: “Boko Haram attacked Pemi village, killed seven people and abducted another seven, including a pastor.” He added that the militants also burned down a church, a dispensary and several houses.
Pemi lies about 20 kilometres from Chibok, the site of the 2014 schoolgirl kidnappings. Around the same period, a man claiming to be Abubakar Shekau, a factional leader of Boko Haram, said the group was behind the abduction of more than 300 schoolboys in northwest Nigeria.
However, Governor Aminu Bello Masari refuted the claim, stating that “local bandits” were responsible.
Source: Facebook
States where bandits are planning to kill on Christmas Day
Legit.ng earlier reported that Equipping The Persecuted, a humanitarian organisation, has sounded the alarm over an alleged plot to launch deadly attacks on northern Nigerian communities during Christmas Day.
The founder of the organisation, Judd Saul, issued the warning during a roundtable meeting convened by the International Committee on Nigeria and the African Jewish Alliance. The meeting, held on December 8 in Washington DC, United States, was chaired by former congressman Frank Wolf.
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Source: Legit.ng
