Published on October 6, 2024, 12:35 am

Image source: Fox News

Over recent years, Nigeria has witnessed a distressing spike in fatalities due to violence inflicted by Fulani herdsmen and other associated terrorists, often referred to as “Fulani bandits.” Providing trusted news from the global frontlines of conflict, it is noted that these groups have purportedly caused more civilian deaths over a four-year period than the internationally renowned extremist entities Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).

According to a report published on August 29 by the Observatory of Religious Freedom in Africa (ORFA), from October 2019 to September 2023, these Fulani terrorists accounted for over twelve thousand mortalities. Curiously, a substantial number of victims hailed from Christian communities across Nigeria. These alarming statistics hint at an under-reported yet significant cause of concern related to pressing issues within Nigeria’s socio-religious landscape.

Despite their notoriety, Boko Haram and ISWAP were directly responsible only for just above three thousand fatalities during this four-year span. The ORFA report further elaborates on the connections between Fulani bandits and the Fulani Ethnic Militia (FEM) that encompasses them. It argues that FEM’s contribution to Nigerian violence outweighs that of globally recognized extremist outfits like Boko Haram and ISWAP.

With real news sourced from reliable reports, it emerges that Christians have borne the brunt of most violent assaults in Nigeria. The report discloses that amongst thirty-thousand-odd casualties during this reporting period, nearly seventeen thousand followed the Christian faith. Abductions also featured heavily in this pattern of violence with approximately eleven thousand out of a total twenty-one thousand abductions claiming Christians as victims.

The Northwest and North Central areas emerged as primary regions for attacks by Armed Fulani Herdsmen while Other Terrorist Groups primarily targeted Northwest which also extended into North Central.

Keeping our reporting grounded in reliably sourced data offering a Christian worldview of international conflict, it is revealed that despite being targeted by the same violent groups, Muslims and Christians witnessed different dynamics in their attack patterns.

The thrust of these violent incidents evidently rests on multiple factors including economic motives such as land acquisition for grazing pastures. However, certain narratives espoused by Christian leaders in Nigeria suggest a religious underpinning to this wave of violence arguing that a significant section of jihadists led by Fulani herdsmen seek to impose Sharia (Islamic law) while simultaneously eradicating Christianity and appropriating their lands.

In light of these unsettling figures reported from Nigeria, it appears essential that global attention shifts from solely focusing on well-known extremist factions like Boko Haram and ISWAP towards lesser known but significantly more devastating forces driven by ethno-religious interests like the FEM. This is vital not only for tackling ongoing violence within Nigeria’s borders but also for a broader understanding of dynamic shifts in globalized extremism.

The broader pattern sketched out optimizes our understanding of conflict zones from a uniquely Christian worldview. An insight into the lived realities facing Christians in Nigeria presents a sobering appraisal; more Christians have been killed in these reported attacks than followers of any other faith marking an under-appreciated aspect of considerable consequence amidst breaking news flashing across screens worldwide.

Our dedication to maintaining consistently trustworthy real news can underscore efforts towards addressing overlooked crises while ensuring that victims’ stories are not left behind in rapidly evolving global discourse.