Survivors Warn of Expanding Fulani Militia Occupation in Taraba
By Mike Odeh James and Elisha Ayes
Orkeghen Philip Aondofa, a 29-year-old Tiv Christian from Taraba State, was serving in Enugu, Southern Nigeria for his compulsory National Youth Service when the first report reached him: Fulani terrorists had attacked his village, New Gboko (Southern Taraba) on November 20,2025
“I tried to call my father that very night but to no avail,” he said.
The next afternoon, his father’s number finally rang — but the voice was not his father’s.
“When I picked the call, the voice spoke Hausa, heavily accented like Fulani,” he told TruthNigeria. “The caller said: ‘Mun kashe baban ka… ka zo ka dauko gawansa.’ They told me, ‘We have killed your father. Come and collect his body; we are waiting for you.’”
In the following days, the killings intensified. His father, four close family members and seven relatives were murdered.
“They burnt down my village… everything is gone,” he said.
New Gboko –- once home to more than 700 people — now lies completely deserted, occupied by Fulani militants. Survivors are scattered across Peva-Chanchanji ward
“There is no accommodation, no food. People are sleeping outside,” Aondofa said. “Let government stop the killings so we can return home. I just want to bury my father.”
Militia Advance on Tse Sabe and Tse Abe
Aondofa is one among thousands whose families have been killed and whose villages have been seized by Fulani Ethnic Militia.
After capturing New Gboko, the jihadists began encircling another Christian settlement — Tse Sabe.
“They have surrounded the village, and they are killing anyone who goes out to the bushes,” said Grace Tesem, a 27-year-old farmer and mother of two. “I escaped through a path the Fulanis may have left for us. But soon they will launch an attack and wipe out the people.”
Azekke Orkuma from Tse Abe tells TruthNigeria the danger is imminent.
“There is no hope for us except the military intervenes,” he said. “The Fulanis will definitely sack Tse Abe.”
Church Confirms: 17 Villages Now Under Fulani Militant Control
Fr. George Dogo of Holy Family Cathedral, Takum, told TruthNigeria that Fulani militants have seized 17 villages since October 2025, leaving once-thriving communities abandoned.
“The coordinated attacks, targeted killings and systematic displacement have emptied entire Christian communities,” he said.
The cleric gave TruthNigeria a list containing villages seized by Fulani Ethnic Militia.
LIST OF OCCUPIED VILLAGES
Unom — 29 Oct 2025
Completely overrun; multiple killings confirmed takeover.
Aburabur — 4 Nov 2025
Deserted after targeted killing; militants remain.
Kwanta — 8 Nov 2025
Steady militant presence following killing of Tersoo Iornger Felix.
Demevar — 9–18 Nov 2025
Two killings confirm sustained occupation.
Amadu (Tyoo Jande Axis) — 4–10 Nov 2025
Full militant control; movement restricted.
Gande — 17 Nov 2025
Largely abandoned, militants still in place.
Orkaa — 30 Nov 2025
Residents fled after killings, area under influence.
Ansua — 12 Nov–1 Dec 2025
Multiple attacks confirm takeover.
Atsanger — 29–30 Nov 2025
Repeated killings show active control.
Tse Atoo — 29 Nov 2025
Deserted following targeted attack.
Jabi — 29 Nov 2025
Mass flight after the killing of Rev. Fidelis Akegh.
Ikyabashi — 3 Dec 2025
Freshly seized; residents displaced overnight.
Peeking — 21 Nov 2025
No civilian return reported.
New Gboko — 17 Nov 2025
Confirmed by survivor testimony.
Gbum — 2 Dec 2025
Immediate evacuation: militants settled.
Kaamen — Date unspecified
Confirmed taken; Zaki Mlumun Adenger killed here.
Gbum (Hamlet) —
A separate smaller settlement also seized.
Earlier Attacks in Ibi Mirror today’s pattern. Fr. Samuel Tswam of Christ the King Parish, Ibi, said the recent wave of attacks mirrors a long-standing trend of Fulani violence.
Ibi was targeted in 2012, 2014, and February 2016.
The 2012 incident was a tribal conflict, but the 2014 and 2016 attacks were carried out by Muslim Fulani militants.
“The scale of destruction was overwhelming,” he said.
“Forty-eight villages were burnt down, each with not less than 30 houses.”
He added that despite repeated reports, the army never responded.
“The Fulani attacks have been solely to occupy land,” he said to TruthNigeria
The Catholic Church has suffered heavily. “Including the central parish church, we lost 49 churches,” he told TruthNigeria.
Ten villages have seen partial resettlement by the original Christian inhabitants, but insecurity remains. Kidnapping persists, and some victims have been killed even after ransom was paid
Nigerian Military Accused of Taking Sides
Villagers in Takum County have told TruthNigeria that the Nigerian military stationed in the area routinely fails to respond to terror alerts and rarely intervenes when Fulani militias launch attacks on Christian communities.
“Today, men of Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS)—the security outfit that is supposed to stop terrorists from attacking people—arrested 50 Christians on allegations that they kidnapped two Fulani herders,” Fr. Dogo told TruthNigeria.
“However, the same military outfit has refused to intervene militarily to stop Fulani terrorists from attacking Christians.”
Media Silence and State Blackout
Malam Zubair Ussa, a native of Takum, also alleged that the Taraba State government is working to suppress information about what he described as an ongoing genocide in Southern Taraba.
“I hardly hear about the killings in Amadu, Demave, New Gboko, and other places in the newspapers. Similarly, the state government is not talking about it,” Ussa told TruthNigeria.
“Though the governor of Taraba is a Christian, and the state is majority Christian, we have not seen any effort to defend the population from terrorist attacks.”
Mike Odeh James and Elisha Ayes are conflict reporters for TruthNigeria.
