by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) - After Islamic terrorists murdered 21 more Christians in Nigeria’s Taraba state last month, two Nigerian lawmakers have called on the federal government to take action to protect Christian communities against relentless murderous attacks by jihadist groups, Christian Daily International-Morning Star News (MSN) reports.
One week, after 13 Christians were murdered in Ussa County, Taraba state, eight more Christians were killed in attacks on Ussa County’s predominantly Christian villages of Kpambo, Fikyu, Kpambo-Yashe and Kpambo-Kuri on Dec. 28. “While we are still celebrating Christmas, an event which reminds us of the birth of our messiah, Jesus Christ, Muslim terrorists attacked,” Lami John told MSN in a text message.
In a press statement the next day, Rikupki Urenyang Joshua, a representative in the Taraba State House of Assembly, said terrorists had killed more than 500 Christians in Ussa County in the past few years. “The murderers come in from Cameroon via the border communities and have continued to launch attacks on our vulnerable communities,” Joshua said. “Nigeria’s federal government is being called upon to deploy troops to the affected communities in order to curtail the activities of the terrorists,” he stated.
In a separate statement on Dec. 29, David Jimkuta, a senator from the area in Nigeria’s parliament, the National Assembly, said not only had hundreds of people been killed but more than 50 villages destroyed in Ussa and Takum counties by Islamic terrorists, MSN reports.
“It’s rather sad that a total of 50 villages in Ussa and Takum Local Government Areas are in ruins because of attacks carried out by terrorists against Christians,” Jimkuta said. “Unfortunately, our security agencies seem to feign ignorance as to where these terrorists are to be found. Truth is, security agencies know where these terrorists are; let them flush out these terrorists from their enclave.”
With tens of thousands of Christians murdered, kidnapped, raped, and displaced by Islamic jihadists since 2015, Nigeria ranks 6th on the US Open Doors World Watch 2023 of the top 50 countries where Christians are persecuted.