Christians Flee as Violence Surges Along Taraba–Benue Border

Fulani Militia Campaign Emptying Christian Communities on Taraba’s Border

By Mike Odeh James and Izhi Bitrus Adamu

(Takum) Killings by Fulani terrorists are intensifying even after two state governors publicly pledged to restore security to communities along the Taraba–Benue border.

Just a week after Taraba Governor Agbu Kefas and Benue Governor Hyacinth Iormem Alia met in Wukari to announce a joint security framework for border communities across Takum, Donga, Ussa and Wukari counties, armed militia launched fresh attacks on villages in Chanchanji Ward — burning homes, killing residents and forcing thousands to flee.

The governors had met March 3 at the palace of the Aku Uka in Wukari 177 miles east of Abuja  to plan security measures and humanitarian relief for displaced communities.

The collaboration produced a joint committee. But the violence did not stop.

On March 9, militia invaded Peva in Chanchanji Ward, killing two people. That same night the same armed group struck Sangambe in Akate Ward of Donga County — killing two more and burning several homes.

A nursing mother and her newborn were killed in one of the attacks. An elderly man died in the same assault.

For more than a week, Fulani ethnic militia have systematically burned villages across Chanchanji Ward in Takum County — killing residents, driving thousands from their homes and surrounding the communities that remain standing while military checkpoints stationed nearby have done little to stop the attacks.

“Those killed are gone forever. But the living can still be saved — if action is taken now. Silence and delay only embolden the killers,” said Uko Atim Uwuaga, a community leader in Amadu.

The governors also visited Abako and Chanchanji IDP camps that same day, promising relief materials, security and the eventual return of displaced persons to their ancestral homes.

Relief materials were delivered, according to Fr. Moses Angean, a Catholic priest and eyewitness. But Fulani terrorists continued to move freely.

“They have encircled the people in the remaining few villages. They can attack any day, any time,” Fr. Angean said.

Even as officials promised peace, attackers struck Chanchanji villages again on March 8, burning homes and forcing residents to flee.

“My mother, who fled Fulani terrorist attacks in Benue and was already living here in Chanchanji as an internally displaced person, is now homeless for the second time,” said Fr. Titus Shimanyan.

“The terrorists burned her house and many other houses. She was lucky to escape,” he told TruthNigeria.

Survivors Recount Horror in Overcrowded Camps

At Amadu IDP camp, TruthNigeria spoke with survivors struggling to survive.

“It’s not fine with us here. I don’t have a place to go. We can’t go to the farm because of the Fulani raping and killing,” said Mrs. Mercy Achi, a widow whose husband was killed on his farm in August 2021.

She has remained in the camp with four children and one grandchild ever since.

On a recent trip to gather firewood, she said soldiers stationed nearby watched as she fled an attack but did not intervene. Sexual violence has also emerged as a weapon of terror.

She described incidents in which attackers assaulted women and girls using cassava stems.

“Can you imagine how painful it is? That’s what the Fulani are doing to adults and female children. It is inhuman,” said Mrs. Felix Blessing, women’s leader of the Tiv Christian community in Amadu.

Church Leaders Decry ‘Genocide’ as Destruction Mounts

The scale of destruction documented by church leaders underscores the crisis.

On February 12, at least 50 Catholic clergy marched through the streets of Jalingo carrying one message: “This is genocide.”

The Catholic Diocese of Wukari accused the state government of criminal indifference to killings that have escalated since September 2025.

More than 90,000 Catholics have been displaced, 100 killed and more than 200 villages and churches destroyed in Chanchanji Ward and surrounding areas alone. Attackers reportedly have harvested crops from abandoned farms and fed the produce to their cattle.

“The Fulani Terrorists follows three patterns, Adakole Adam, director of Adakson Security Company in Takum, told TruthNigeria.

 “These are coordinated night attacks on Christian villages, ambushes of highway motorists and kidnapping for ransom,” Adam said.

“The Benue–Taraba joint security approach is capable of bringing stability,” he said, “only if politics is not involved.”

Fr. George Dogo of Holy Family Cathedral in Takum said the violence has spread across southern Taraba.

“Fulani terrorists are primarily responsible for the killings in Takum, Wukari and Donga,” he said.

American missionary Alex Barbir echoed similar concerns in a widely circulated video.

“In Benue, in Plateau, in Taraba, in Kaduna, it is Fulani who are going and killing and massacring and burning and taking over and kidnapping,” Barbir said in a CBN News interview.

Concern Over International Framing

Some Middle Belt leaders say international interpretations of Nigeria’s violence risk overlooking the main perpetrators.

“Many in the Middle Belt now believe that U.S. President Donald Trump’s approach to Nigeria’s security crisis overlooks the greater purveyors of death,” security expert Adam said.

“Fulani terrorists are operating in virtually all regions of Nigeria, killing and destabilizing communities.”

He pointed to data compiled by the advocacy group Equipping the Persecuted, whose attack maps show widespread militant activity across Nigeria.

“The green dots on the map reveal the depth of penetration and destruction caused by Fulani Ethnic Militia,” Adam said.

He warned that the perception of international indifference could embolden militant actors.

“Yes, they know Trump does not have time for this issue. That perception alone can embolden them to continue causing more death and destruction,” Adam said.

Eight Catholic parishes in the affected diocese have now been closed. Priests’ residences have been burned.

Fr. Dogo also warns that violence in southern Taraba has reached levels not seen before September 2025

“Since Trump is not taking action against Fulani terrorists, the terrorists are emboldened.

Mike Odeh James and Izighe Bitrus Adamu are conflict reporters for TruthNigeria.