by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) - Suspected Fulani Islamic jihadists slaughtered 41 Christians and kidnapped numerous others in Nigeria’s Kaduna state on Jan. 3, Morning Star News (MSN) reports.
The Jan. 3 attacks took place in southern Kaduna, in the Dokan Karji, Ungwan Sako, and Kunkurai villages in Kauru County and Gefe village in Kajuru County, area resident Sunday Isuwa told MSN. “The attacks in Kauru claimed the lives of 17 Christians, and those in Kajuru claimed the lives of 24 Christians,” Isuwa said.
In a separate statement to MSN, area resident Samaila Musa said: “The terrorists who were armed with deadly weapons invaded the communities, killing children, women, men and the elderly who were unable to escape from the attackers.”
Rev. Joseph John Hayab, chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Kaduna State Chapter, said in a Jan. 5 press statement that the attacks were “the handiwork of evil bandits and terrorists who have been attacking our communities without relenting.” Hayab said CAN is appealing to the governor of Kaduna state and Nigeria’s security agencies to “ensure that these evil-doers are brought to face the wrath of the laws of our country.”
Fulani jihadist herdsmen, Boko Haram, and Islamic State West Africa Province have been killing, kidnapping, and displacing Christians in Nigeria for 15 years, prompting rights groups to warn of a genocide against believers in the country.
Plagued by the spread of Islamic jihadist terrorism since 2009, Nigeria ranks 6th on the US Open Doors World Watch List 2023 of the top 50 countries where Christians are persecuted.