10/04/2023 Nigeria (International Christian Concern) — Fulani militants seized more than 4,519 hectares (about 10,000 acres) of farmland in central Nigeria over the past five years to graze their cattle, leaving thousands of Christians destitute to earn a living, according to a recent report by the International Committee on Nigeria (ICON).
Since 2017, there has been a mostly silent killing of Christians and unreported land-grabbing in the Middle Belt region by radical Fulani militants.
“Cattle now graze in our farmland,” said a community leader from Daffo village, adding that more than 10,000 families cannot farm or have access to their land. Fulani militias attack Christian communities at night, destroying lives, homes, farms, and livelihoods.
The same story can be repeated in other Plateau State Christian communities including Benue, Taraba, and Southern Kaduna villages.
International Christian Concerning (ICC) helps to support Christian farmers by clearing land and launching new crop farms with maize and soybeans. One farm worker told ICC that the government is silent and slow to respond when farms are destroyed.
Government leaders often deny that Christians are being persecuted, claiming it is just a herder-farmer conflict and not religiously motivated.
