Muslims continue attacks on Christian farmers in Nigeria; death toll rises

Muslim Fulani herdsmen continue to attack Christian farmers in Benue state, Central Nigeria. Herdsmen resort to violence due to land disputes. Reports, however, say that the killings are beyond economics; apparently, it's ethnic cleansing.

World Watch Monitor reports that since June, recent death toll of Christian farmers has risen to at least 133. 

According to Reuters, the violence is due to land disputes. The dry spell, overgrazing and worsening desertification have reportedly pushed many Muslim Fulani cattle herders to seize fertile lands owned by Christians in the southern part of Nigeria. 

However, for Reverend Augustine Akpen Leva, chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria in Benue State, the violence is beyond economics. These herdsmen have killed people and overtaken a number of properties, including 76 churches where they have set camp.

He tells World Watch Monitor, "This is another jihad like the one waged by Boko Haram in the north-east of the country. The attackers carry sophisticated weapons, sometimes they even used chemical weapons on our communities. They just come, often overnight when people are sleeping. They attack defenseless people and go away. They clearly have an agenda: to wipe out Christian presence and take over the land."

Boko Haram is an Islamist terror group based in Nigeria that massacred an estimated 2,000 people in a town in Baga. According to Open Doors charity, the main reason for these deaths is "religious cleansing to eradicate Christianity."

This week, Sir Lazarus Agai, a Christian district head of Ron/Kuleri tribe was killed by Fulani herders for his refusal to issue them cards that state that they are indigenous to the land.

Last month, herdsmen armed with weapons attacked a Ninte village in the north-central state of Kaduna, killing three locals, and driving away hundreds of people from their land. Morning Star News reported that they also burned the house of Evangelical Church Winning All pastor, Reverend Saleh Yamusa.

Nigeria has one of the largest Christian population in Sub-Saharan Africa. The country was once predominantly Muslim in religion, but since 1963, the Muslim population has declined, and Christians have increased in number, reportedly now comprising more than half of the country's population.