43 Slain in Midde Belt during Easter Week; 65 in Northwest; 54 in Northeast
By Luka Binniyat and Ezinwanne Onwuka
(Abuja) From LA to Lagos they celebrated the Risen Lord, but in the unforgiving byways of Nigeria’s vast no-man’s-land, Christians dodged bullets on Sunday.
Scores of Muslims also were killed in Nigeria’s complex, wide-ranging civil conflict.
Five mass-casualty events are summarized below according to region: 17 in Benue State; 15 in Kaduna; 11 in Nasarawa; 65 in Zamfara; and 54 in Borno.
Middle Belt: Easter Sunday Attack in Kaduna
Terrorists struck on Easter Sunday in Southern Kaduna State, storming four villages during Easter Sunday services, shooting dead at least 15 worshippers and dragging dozens into the surrounding bush. In Ariko community, Kachia County (Local Government Area) of Kaduna State, Islamist jihadists attacked two churches during worship.
The churches—First ECWA Church and St. Augustine Catholic Church—were filled with worshippers when the attackers struck, killing at least seven people and abducting several others. When Army troops swept the area hours later, they recovered five more bodies — victims shot and abandoned in the bush — bringing the confirmed death toll in Ariko to 12.
Mark Bawa, the councillor representing Awon Ward, confirmed the incident to the PUNCH.
“The attackers came in large numbers. They surrounded the area and began shooting sporadically at worshippers. Several people were killed, and many others were taken away into the bush,” he said.
The attack adds to a growing pattern of violence in the county. In January, 183 Christians in Kurmin Wali, also in Kachia County, were abducted during a church service.
In the same hour in neighboring Kajuru County, in Maro Ward (a voting district holding at least 20,000 people) ethnic cleansing gangs of Fulani Ethnic militia held Christians accountable for daring to worship on Easter Sunday.
“The Fulani Ethnic Militia came on motorbikes carrying heavy guns. They attacked three villages in Maro, killing at least one person in each and abducting about three others,” said Ado Waziri, a member of the Maro community-guard group. The killings in Kajuru brought the total murdered by Fulani jihadists during Easter Week to 15.
Middle Belt: Bloodshed in Benue
In Benue State, at least 17 Christians were killed in Mbalom (mem-bah-LOM) community, Gwer East County, on Saturday while preparing for Easter vigil.
Some Nigerian media reports placed the death toll at nine, an undercount according to TruthNigeria sources.
Governor Hyacinth Alia condemned the killings, describing it as “barbaric, unacceptable act, and a direct affront to the collective peace and security of the state.”
The tragedy echoes a painful history. Mbalom was the site of a similar attack three years ago, when 17 Catholic Christians, including two priests, were killed.
The latest wave of killings comes shortly after President Bola Tinubu assured Nigerians that his Administration would “find the perpetrators of these dastardly acts” following the Palm Sunday massacres in Plateau State.
Yet, attacks have continued across multiple communities, raising concerns about the effectiveness of security responses.
Middle Belt: 11 Killed in Nasarawa
In Nasarawa State, heavily armed attackers carried out assaults on three predominantly Christian communities—Gidan-Ogiri (Sabon-Gida), Akyewa-Baka, and Udege-Kasa.
The attacks were coordinated by a central commander, locals told TruthNigeria and lasted more than 24 hours between April 2 and April 3. By Sunday morning at least 11 people were dead and 52 houses razed.
Residents told TruthNigeria no security forces intervened during the violence, forcing many to flee. Displaced families shelter today in nearby communities, uncertain if they can safely return.
Authorities, however, linked the violence to communal clashes between the affected communities. Police officials reported that “hoodlums” had carried out a “reprisal attack” after two of their kinsmen had been killed. Local media did not reveal the ethnicity of the opposing communal groups. But residents told TruthNigeria that the incidents were coordinated assaults carried out by Fulani Ethnic Militia.
Survivors describe a well-planned offensive involving dozens of motorcycles and heavily armed attackers who overwhelmed local defenses.
Northeast: ISWAP Kills 54
In Borno State, suspected fighters of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) killed 12 Christians in an overnight assault on Kautikari, a community near Chibok.
Dr. Pogu Bitrus, President of the Middle Belt Forum, told TruthNigeria that the attackers descended “in their hundreds,” overwhelming local civilian guards who tried to hold them back for more than two hours.
Security forces were also caught in the web of the attacks. Suspected Boko Haram/ISWAP fighters attacked the Nghanzai Divisional Police Headquarters.
Zagazola Makama reported that the attack took place at about 1:00 a.m. local time on April 4.
The attackers engaged officers in a prolonged gun battle before overpowering them, killing at least four police personnel.
The Borno State Police Command buried the slain officers on Saturday.
Earlier on Tuesday, ISWAP fighters reportedly rounded up loggers in a forest outside the town of Mafa, killing 38 and abducting 18 others, according to the Defense Post.
Military Pushback
Amid the wave of violence, security forces logged some successes.
In Benue State, the military and police repelled an attack on Agatu County after a gun battle with armed bandits, forcing them to retreat.
Security sources said the incident happened at about 9:00 a.m. local time on April 4, when the troops on routine patrol encountered the armed bandits.
Military Kill 65 Bandit-terrorists in Zamfara
In Zamfara State, a major military operation killed at least 65 bandits, including notorious commander Kachalla Iliya Sarki, son of wanted bandit leader Ado Aleru, in Tsafe county.
Other high-ranking figures, including kidnapping kingpin Kachalla Biyabiki, were also eliminated. Biyabiki was reportedly holding at least 10 victims hostage at the time of his death, with ransom negotiations ongoing.
For years, forests in Tsafe, Shinkafi, and Zurmi have served as strongholds for armed groups, with Aleru’s network among the most feared.
Luka Binniyat and Ezinwanne Onwuka are conflict reporters for TruthNigeria.
