More than 98,000 people have fled southern Taraba State as church leaders accuse Nigerian authorities of failing to arrest or prosecute militants.
By Mary Kiara
(Taraba State) — Armed Fulani militants accused by church leaders of targeting Christian farming communities in Nigeria’s Taraba State are repeatedly returning to attack villages without arrests or prosecutions.
Bishop Mark Nzukwein says he is watching entire Christian communities disappear.
“My people are experiencing an exodus,” the Catholic bishop of Wukari told TruthNigeria. “I see them constantly on the move with their belongings from one place to another.”
According to diocesan records, more than 98,000 people have fled southern Taraba State since September following repeated attacks blamed on armed Fulani militants. At least 217 churches have been destroyed, eight parish residences vandalized and more than 100 people killed, church officials say.
The attacks have centered on farming communities in Takum, Ussa and Donga counties in Nigeria’s volatile Middle Belt, where years of overlapping territorial and religious violence have steadily emptied rural Christian villages.
“In recent weeks, more than seven presbyteries and priests’ residences have been attacked and vandalised,” Nzukwein told TruthNigeria. “This shows a worrying escalation of violence.”
Villages Attacked Again and Again
Residents and clergy describe a recurring pattern: armed militants raid villages at night, kill residents, burn homes and churches, then return days later to already-abandoned communities.
Earlier this year, protests erupted after at least 80 Christians were killed and more than 200 communities reportedly attacked across southern Taraba.
On March 17, militants attempted to overrun the town of Tor-Damisa, killing three police officers. Additional attacks in Akinde and Akumen left civilians dead and homes burned.
“The attackers are Fulani Muslims who chant ‘Allahu Akbar’ during assaults,” Fr. George Dogo of Holy Family Cathedral in Takum told TruthNigeria after recent attacks.
The violence has also devastated farming activity across affected districts, worsening food shortages in a region already struggling with displacement.
‘No Arrests, No Accountability’
For church leaders, the deeper crisis is no longer only the killings themselves, but the absence of consequences afterward.
“There are no arrests, no accountability,” Nzukwein told TruthNigeria. “The impunity is discouraging.”
Catholic Bishop Matthew Kukah issued a similar warning during a recent public address.
“By whatever names we choose, Nigerians are dying unacceptable deaths,” Kukah said. “The failure to prosecute perpetrators has created an environment where mass killings thrive.”
Security monitors increasingly warn that repeated attacks across Nigeria’s Middle Belt are overwhelming local security systems while accelerating the collapse of farming communities.
According to the Observatory for Religious Freedom in Africa, Fulani militants were responsible for 55 percent of documented Christian killings between 2019 and 2023.
Nigeria also ranked fourth globally in the 2026 Global Terrorism Index, with terrorism-related deaths reaching their highest level in five years.
Pressure Mounting Abroad
The violence is drawing growing scrutiny in Washington.
“Nigerian officials have been, unfortunately, complicit in facilitating these atrocities,” U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz said during a Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee hearing examining religious violence in Nigeria.
“I will judge their commitment by the results,” Cruz added. “Those results have yet to materialize.”
The criticism comes as international human-rights advocates increasingly question Nigeria’s response to repeated attacks on Christian communities in the Middle Belt.
Even as violence escalates, Nigerian officials continue emphasizing reconciliation efforts.
“It is important for us to give the terrorists that window to repent,” Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Olufemi Oluyede said during a recent security lecture in Abuja.
Agbu Kefas – Taraba state Governor has launched a Judicial Commission of Inquiry to investigate the violence and recommend accountability measures.
But church leaders say little has changed on the ground.
“You are not safe anywhere,” Nzukwein told TruthNigeria. “You don’t know what will happen the next moment.”
Communities Emptying Out
Unlike previous waves of violence, many displaced families are avoiding formal camps entirely.
“They do not want to go to the camps because they are forgotten there,” Nzukwein said.
Instead, families move from village to village carrying whatever belongings remain after attacks.
Church leaders warn that prolonged displacement is collapsing local agriculture, disrupting education and leaving vulnerable youths exposed to recruitment by criminal networks.
“It is a great tragedy that we do not feel safe in our own country,” Nzukwein said.
As villages empty across southern Taraba, clergy warn that entire Christian communities may disappear long before anyone is held accountable.
Mary Kiara reports on terrorism and religious freedom for TruthNigeria.
