The killing of more than 200 individuals in rural communities in Plateau State by violent attackers has consistently drawn both local and international focus, the most recent being acknowledgment from Pope Francis.
”Let us pray together for the victims of the severe violence in Nigeria’s Plateau State. May God free Nigeria from these horrors!” stated the Argentine pontiff on Sunday in a message posted on X (formerly Twitter).
The octogenarian also offered prayers for “those enduring suffering due to conflicts: the oppressed Ukrainian people, the Palestinian and Israeli communities, the Sudanese population, the oppressed Rohingya, and many others. May those involved in these conflicts heed the call of their conscience.”
On Christmas Eve, heartless attackers carried out chilling simultaneous assaults on communities in the Bokkos and Barkin-Ladi Local Government Areas of Plateau State.
These attacks have resulted in the loss of over 200 lives, with numerous homes and farmlands set ablaze. The fact that the assailants encountered no resistance from security forces has dismayed many Nigerians.
As customary, the government and the military have condemned the attacks and made a few commitments following widely publicized visits to the state. However, prominent voices in Northern Nigeria, such as the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, Matthew Hassan-Kukah, have criticized the government and the military for failing to protect the people on the Plateau who continue to face repeated assaults from marauders.