By Mike Odeh James
(Lafia) At least four were killed and more than 45 others wounded on Dec. 31st in a brazen attack on the Akunza-Ashigye community near Assakio in the Lafia East Development Area of Nasarawa State.
Residents and security sources confirmed the assault to TruthNigeria.
The attack, which erupted under the cover of darkness, bore the hallmarks of a coordinated strike by suspected Fulani ethnic militia, leaving homes burned and families traumatized.
On December 4, Dec. 10 and Dec. 20, American Christian missionary Judd Saul, founder of Equipping the Persecuted (ETP), warned that increased militia movements foreshadowed militia attacks in the Christmas season in central Nigeria’s Middle Belt—including Nasarawa.
While the Nasarawa State Police Command acknowledged that security agencies take all credible intelligence seriously, they declined to comment publicly on whether the specific ETP warning was received or acted upon.
The Nigerian Federal Government also downplayed the alert issued by the Americans.
Yet, on Tuesday, Dec. 16, gunmen believed to be Fulani ethnic militia attacked a group of young Christian miners at a mining camp outside Jos, Plateau state, killing 12 people. Plateau State is adjacent to Nasarawa State.
The previous day, on Monday, Dec. 15, 2025, a so-called farmer-herder clash in Loko community of Nasarawa left at least nine people injured amid disputes over farmland, according to the Daily Post. TruthNigeria sources regard the motivation of the attack on farmers as land invasion.
Night of Terror
The New Year’s Eve assailants in Nasarawa struck around 10 p.m. on December 31, 2025.
“This was sudden, loud, and merciless,” said Markus Zingani, a local farmer who survived. “We heard gunshots and screams. By dawn, we counted bodies and the injured. We are left asking why warnings weren’t acted upon.”
“They came, and they were many. I personally saw three persons killed, but the death toll could be more,” Zingani added.
Several residents described the attackers as heavily armed, moving swiftly through fields and hamlets.
“I lost my cousin that night,” said Mrs. Blessing Agbo, her voice trembling. “We begged and ran, but they shot into houses. How long must we live in fear?”
Mrs. Agbo provided further detail: “I don’t know how many they were, but they rode on motorbikes and were heavily armed with guns and long knives. They burnt down houses and barns as they went, shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’ (God is great in Arabic).”
Another survivor, Issa Musa, recounted the violence, noting it followed weeks of tension after a reported ambush on Fulani herdsmen near the community last month—an incident some locals believe triggered a cycle of revenge killings.
Why They Struck?
David Mannaseh, a local farmer, explained the context to TruthNigeria:
“Over the past 12 months since December 2024, Fulani ethnic groups who are not indigenous to our area started grabbing our lands.
“They graze on farmlands, and when you chase them away, they mobilize and attack the landowners. We have been enduring, but we decided we didn’t want to see them on our lands anymore. Since then, they started kidnapping and killing our people.”
He expressed frustration with the authorities: “If you report them to the Nigerian Police Force, local commanders do nothing but plead with you to let them be.”
Mannaseh linked the latest violence directly to recent tensions: “Last week on December 15, the Fulani ethnic group claimed some of their members were attacked by indigenous people and vowed revenge.
“Using that pretext, the Fulani ethnic militia attacked, killed four Christians, and injured more than 40 persons.”
He warned of the consequences: “This attack has triggered a massive relocation from the community, and obviously, the Fulani ethnic militia will now occupy the land.”
Zingani echoed this concern: “Now, I can’t go back to my community. Most probably, Fulani ethnic militia will be occupying our land.”
Alleged Trigger
A security source who agreed to speak only on background, corroborated this narrative. He stated the attack may be linked to an unresolved conflict between Fulani herders and the Akunza-Ashigye community, which resulted in fatalities on both sides in 2024.
The source alleged the latest violence was a reprisal for the killing of a Fulani herder last Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025.
According to him, two herders were returning from a cattle market in Lafia on a motorcycle when they were ambushed on a bridge shortly after passing Akunza-Ashigye. One herder was killed.
“The surviving Fulani man claimed he recognized one of the attackers by his dreadlocks and concluded the assailants were from the Akunza-Ashigye community, according to Vanguard News. This belief may have triggered the retaliatory attack,” Adamu said, adding that this may be a pretext for Fulani ethnic militia to attack and grab the lands of the indigenous peoples.
Akunza-Ashigye is situated along the Lafia-Shendam federal highway, approximately 35 miles from the state capital, Lafia. The community occupies fertile agricultural land cultivated for generations by the Migili people, a predominantly Christian ethnic group.
Weaponizing Reprisal: Violence as a Tool for Land Seizure
The attack fits a widening pattern across Nigeria’s Middle Belt, where Fulani ethnic militias are accused of using alleged reprisals as cover for territorial expansion.
Security analysts consulted by TruthNigeria warned that unless perpetrators are arrested and displaced communities are protected and restored, such attacks will continue to function as a low-intensity land-grab strategy, eroding indigenous land rights and deepening instability across Nasarawa and the wider region.
Reprisals Not Punishable
In Nigeria, once Miyetti Allah announces that cattle belonging to its members have been killed or its members have been murdered by indigenous tribes, the next thing is massive reprisals, according to local Nasarawa sources who asked not to be identified.
After the claim of reprisal, the Federal Government and State Government would say this is just a revenge killing, and nothing happens to the perpetrators. PrNigeria.com published a crime story in August, 2025 about massacres in Plateau State and links them to presumed reprisals against Christians in the state of Taraba, as if the linkage is obvious.
“It is happening in Plateau, it happened in Benue, and in other areas. “Reprisals do not carry penalties,” Security expert Dr. Zara Ibrahim told TruthNigeria.
Security Experts Demand Answers
Analysts who spoke with TruthNigeria say this latest assault exposes glaring gaps in how actionable intelligence is shared and acted upon.
“We can’t continue to have forewarnings that turn into fatalities,” said Ibrahim. “If communities and security agencies are not synchronized, our people suffer the consequences.”
As investigations proceed, residents in Akunza-Ashigye and neighboring communities are calling on authorities not only to bring perpetrators to justice but to implement protective measures to ensure warnings do not go unanswered again.
“We want security that sees us alive,” Mrs. Agbo told TruthNigeria. “Not promises after death.”
Mike Odeh James is a conflict reporter for Truthnigeria.
