7/22/2025 Nigeria (International Christian Concern) — Residents of Jebu, a predominantly Christian farming village in the Tahoss District of Riyom County, Plateau State, are mourning the loss of at least 32 community members following an attack by armed Fulani militias early Monday morning, July 14.

The assault, which began around 3 a.m., left men, women, children, and even a 3-month-old infant dead. According to reports gathered by International Christian Concern (ICC), the attackers set fire to dozens of homes, destroyed farmlands, and reduced the local church to rubble.

Survivors described the attack as sudden and coordinated. Eyewitnesses said the assailants, armed with rifles and machetes, surrounded the community from multiple directions, opening fire on residents as they slept. The quiet of the night was shattered by gunfire, the crackling sound of burning rooftops, and the desperate screams of villagers fleeing for their lives.

“We woke up to the sound of gunshots everywhere,” said Ezekiel Dung, a local farmer who narrowly escaped with his wife and two children. “They came from all sides, shooting and setting houses on fire. Anyone who ran was shot. My neighbor’s entire family was killed in their home.”

Several of the victims were burned beyond recognition when their houses were set ablaze. In some cases, bodies of entire families were found huddled together in the remnants of their homes. Community leaders who arrived after the attackers had left were met with a scene of devastation: smoldering buildings, blackened farmlands, and bodies lying in the ruins of what had once been a thriving village.

Among those killed was the village youth leader, Weng Dachung, who had attempted to rally other young men to defend their homes. According to multiple residents, soldiers stationed nearby did not intervene during the assault. Some villagers claim that the soldiers even prevented local youths from responding to the attackers.

“The soldiers were close by, just a few meters away from where houses were burning,” one resident, who requested anonymity, told ICC. “They told the youths to stay back and did nothing as people were being killed.”

The Nigerian Defence Headquarters has not issued a comment regarding these allegations. Such reports of security forces failing to act during attacks are not new in Plateau’s rural communities, where residents often complain of inadequate or delayed responses from the authorities.

Hours after the attack, Plateau State Governor Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang visited Jebu to assess the destruction and console survivors. Addressing the gathering, he condemned the violence and rejected the term “farmers-herders clash,” which is often used to describe these incidents in official narratives.

“This is organized violence against innocent people,” the governor told residents. “The government will ensure justice and rebuild what has been destroyed.”

Mutfwang promised that the state government would document the full extent of the damage for compensation and announced plans to provide psychosocial support for survivors.

The local church, which had served as a place of worship and a community meeting center, was destroyed in the attack. Rev. Musa D. Alamba, the pastor of the church, lost not only his congregation but also his home, personal belongings, and vehicle.

“I have lost my members. I have lost everything,” Rev. Alamba said. “I appeal to the government and Nigerians of goodwill to come to our aid. We need food, clothes, and a safe place to stay.”

Rev. Alamba is currently sheltering under a tree near the remains of the church compound with dozens of other displaced villagers. Children sit barefoot on mats, staring silently at the ashes of their homes, while their parents struggle to find food and water.

One of the casualties was a member of Operation Rainbow, a state-backed security outfit. His death highlights the scale and boldness of the attackers, who operated freely for more than two hours before retreating.

Adding to public frustration, the Nigerian Defence Headquarters issued a statement on the same day of the attack praising troops for rejecting a ₦13.7 million (roughly $8,900) bribe from suspected terrorists during an unrelated operation elsewhere in the state. While the statement was meant to underscore the integrity of the security forces, residents of Jebu said that it does little to address the failure to prevent or halt the massacre.

By Monday afternoon, the community had begun burying the dead in shallow graves behind the ruins of the church. Without access to mortuary facilities and with the heat accelerating decomposition, men used shovels to dig while women and children sat weeping nearby.

“We fear they will come again,” said Grace Pam, a widow who lost two of her children in the attack. “We need soldiers who protect us, not just stand and watch.”

The assault on Jebu is part of an ongoing wave of violence in Plateau state, a region where rural Christian communities have faced repeated attacks by armed groups. Local monitors told ICC that more than 150 people have been killed in similar assaults since January. Most of these incidents involve nighttime raids, the burning of homes and crops, and the displacement of entire communities.

The violence has pushed many families into temporary shelters, schools, or the homes of relatives in nearby towns. Aid groups report rising cases of hunger and trauma among survivors, many of whom have lost their homes, livestock, and means of livelihood.

Local church-based organizations and NGOs have started mobilizing relief for Jebu, but the needs are overwhelming. Food, bedding, clothing, and trauma counseling are urgently required. With the planting season interrupted and farmlands destroyed, there are growing fears that food insecurity will worsen in the coming months.

“What we are seeing is the collapse of rural life in parts of Plateau,” said John Pam, a volunteer with a local relief initiative. “People are abandoning villages because they no longer feel safe. If this continues, we will see massive displacement.”

So far, international humanitarian organizations have not issued statements on the Jebu attack, but local activists are urging global attention to what they describe as a silent crisis unfolding in Nigeria’s Middle Belt.

As night falls over Jebu, the smell of smoke still lingers in the air, and survivors gather in small groups, recounting their losses and wondering what the future holds. With mass graves behind them and the ruins of their homes before them, they are left waiting to see if promises of justice and rebuilding will become a reality.

The attack on Jebu is the latest in a series of deadly assaults on rural communities in Plateau state this year. According to ICC’s findings, this is the fourth major attack in the Riyom Local Government Area in the past two months. Residents said that unless there is a stronger security presence and accountability for the perpetrators, they fear Jebu will not be the last community to face such devastation.

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