Palm Sunday Week Turns Deadly Across Nigeria: At Least 98 Killed as Nigeria’s Terror Crisis Escalates
By Luka Binniyat and Ezinwanne Onwuka
(Abuja) The day after Palm Sunday, families are mourning massacres in Jos, the historic Christian fortress city in Plateau State, and a Sunday massacre in Kagarko in Kaduna State’s Christian belt.
In Plateau, at least 40 people were killed in Agwan Rukuba community in Jos North County, according to Arise TV news. TruthNigeria gathered that the attack was by the Boko Haram terrorists—not the usual Fulani militia, although the claim has not been verified by the Nigerian military.
The attack echoes a similar attack last year in Zikke village, located in Bassa County, where 54 Christians were massacred on Palm Sunday.
Around 11:47 p.m. local time, gunmen raided a wedding in Kahir village, Kagarko County, southern Kaduna State, killing at least 13 people and abducting several guests. Kagarko is a base of Christian settlement in Southern Kaduna.
Mass Exodus in Taraba After Church Attack
Earlier in the week, Fulani militia attacked St. James the Great Catholic Church in Adu, Takum District, Taraba State, a Middle Belt state in Northeastern Nigeria. Windows were broken, parish buildings were ransacked, and the rectory was damaged during the attack.
The attack has forced more than 90,000 Christians in Takum District to flee as militants push deeper into southern Taraba, according to Judd Saul, founder of Equipping The Persecuted.
Warnings had come in advance. TruthNigeria issued an advisory on March 10, followed by a more urgent alert on March 21—authorities ignored both.
Kwara Emerges as New Frontline
An early-morning explosion ripped through a village near Woro in Kaiama district on March 23, killing at least one person and injuring several others.
The blast, believed to have been caused by an improvised explosive device, struck a community still reeling from a February massacre that left more than 160 people dead.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but the state has become a new frontier of expansion by various Islamist groups who are pushing southward.
A trending video on social media shows an entire community deserted, as residents flee amid fears of further attacks.
Deadly Ambush in Kebbi
On Tuesday, March 24, troops responding to a distress call were lured into a coordinated ambush by Lakurawa terrorists. Nine soldiers, a police officer, and a civilian were killed, and two military trucks were reduced to charred skeletons.
In its official statement, the Nigerian Army confirmed the encounter but made no mention of troop casualties. The ambush nevertheless stands as the single deadliest attack on security forces recorded during the week.
Boko Haram Attacks Refugees in Borno
Soldiers repelled an attack on a military base in Borno State on Saturday, March 28, with the military claiming to have killed eight Boko Haram fighters. The Nigerian military claimed a higher body count: 38 killed, based on “blood trails and abandoned equipment,” according to a military post. “One MRAP was hit by RPG fire, with injured personnel promptly stabilized.
The scale of enemy losses has triggered widespread jubilation among local communities and highlights the sustained dominance of troops in denying terrorists freedom of action,” parts of the military statement reads.
But tragedy struck elsewhere. “Troops successfully repelled a coordinated attack by Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists on a Forward Operating Base in Mandaragirau, Borno, killing several insurgents and recovering arms and ammunition, according to Zagazola Makama on X.
In Gwoza, survivors of the Ngoshe attack in March—some recently returned from refugee camps in Cameroon—were hit again. A bomb blast at Pulka IDP camp killed four displaced persons and two soldiers.
Islamic terrorists have been waging an insurgency to establish a caliphate in Gwoza since 2009.
“Some of the victims no longer have hands and legs, some have died; those who are severely injured have been rushed to the hospital. Yet no official statement from the government, no intervention,” a survivor of the blast told TruthNigeria anonymously.
Other Attacks Across the Country
In Mararaba, Nasarawa State, armed Fulani militia killed six residents and burned homes. Mararaba is less than 20 miles from Abuja, showing how violence is creeping toward the capital city. The assault was another layer or evidence suggesting that Fulani ethnic militia are acting in concert with insurgents such as Islamic State of West Africa, although the evidence is not yet conclusive, said security experts interviewed by TruthNigeria.
The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) tracker reports that on March 24, at least 21 vigilantes and soldiers were killed in Mariga, Niger State, but there are no media reports on the attack.
In Sokoto State, on 25 March 2026, troops made 2 separate contacts with terrorists at Magonho Forest where they eliminated 3 bandits and recovered 3 AK 47 rifles and motorcycles.
In Zamfara State, on 25 March 2026, Nigerian Army Headquarters reported that troops executed a successful ambush along the Gada Maya – Makakari Village road, neutralizing 2 terrorists and forcing others to retreat in disarray. The operation led to the recovery of one AK-47 rifle, 3 magazines, 55 rounds of 7.62mm Special ammunition, one Baofeng radio, 2 mobile phones, and one motorcycle,
Meanwhile, a new terrorist faction has surfaced in Anka, Zamfara State, which is the state where organized bandit terrorists began explosive growth 15 years ago. The new group is led by a bandit kingpin dubbed “Gulak,” who reportedly migrated from Kebbi State, possibly displaced by the expanding “Lakurawa group,” a jihadist militia that now controls more than half of Kebbi’s 21 counties.
On Sunday, March 29, Gulak’s fighters attacked Rafin Gero village, burning homes and abducting six people. The group is also linked to a February 19 attack on Dutsin Dan Ajaiya village, which left 37 dead and approximately 150 abducted.
The Bigger Picture
Nigeria now ranks fourth in the Global Terrorism Index. Africa’s largest economy recorded the largest increase in terrorism-related deaths globally in 2025, with fatalities rising by 46 percent.
The past week offered a stark snapshot: churches attacked, villages emptied, soldiers ambushed, and survivors attacked again.
Luka Binniyat and Ezinwanne Onwuka are conflict reporters for TruthNigeria.
