01/28/2022 Nigeria (International Christian Concern) – An ICC contact in Nigeria discovered over 500 bullet shells used in the killing of eighteen Christians in Ancha village in a January 11, 2022 attack. As the contact visited the village, located about two hours from the capital of Plateau State, villagers told him that some of the attackers, who they identified as Fulani militants, were dressed in black while others wore the uniform of the Nigerian Army.
Thirty soldiers with AK47s were stationed in a classroom in the community when the attack happened. The converted classroom served as barracks for the soldiers. Despite being stationed inside the village, the soldiers did not defend it against the invading militants. Instead, they stood by and watched as houses were burnt, cars and food were destroyed, and villagers were killed. During the attack, the soldiers protected only their two vehicles and the converted classroom.
The recent attack in Ancha is just the latest in a years-long pattern of militant violence committed against the village.
On January 23, 2022, at about 9:00 pm, four Christians from Dung county, another locale near the capital of Plateau State, were killed while returning from their mining work. They were traveling back to their homes for church service when they were attacked. A survivor of the attack said the militants were speaking the Fulani language and Hausa and were dressed in military uniforms. A community leader in Dung said thirteen bullet shells were found and that they were of military provenance.
The Honorable Dachung Musa Bagos, who represents Jos South and Jos East in the National Assembly, reacted publicly to the recent death of the miners. “The recent massacre resulted in the death of three of my constituents and one other person. And a woman is recuperating in the hospital,” he said.
He went on to say that this incident has raised concerns over the readiness of security agencies to tackle the killings, which have been going on for more than two decades. While consoling the families of those who lost loved ones, he expressed his personal reaction to the attacks. “I am angry and enraged by the daily killing within and around my constituency,” he told them “I want to state emphatically that I will continue to talk about these callous attitudes of known criminals amongst us until they are all gotten rid of finally.”
He called on the Federal and State governments to charge the security agencies to tackle more seriously, as a matter of urgency, the insecurity around the state and the country at large.
30km from Dung county, three Christians were killed after a church service in Kwall county in Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State on January 24, 2022. A member of the community told ICC that they were close to a military station and that villagers responding to the attack found bullet shells found belonging to the Nigerian Army.
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