At least 34 Christians killed in attack by Fulani herdsmen in Nigeria

More than 34 people in predominantly Christian villages in Kauru in the Nigerian state of Kaduna were killed in the attack carried out by 200 Fulani herdsmen on Nov. 13. The attackers also destroyed over 100 houses and other properties of the villagers.

Yohanna Gandu, an official of Chawai Community Development Association, told International Christian Concern (ICC) that the perpetrators came from the direction of the neighboring Plateau State, Ganawuri.

It was reported that about three to four thousand people were displaced from the villages of Kitakum, Kigam, Angwan Rimi, Angwan Magaji and Angwan Makera as a result of the attacks.

The Southern Kaduna Peoples Union (SOKAPU) said in a press statement that the elderly and children as young as two years old were among the victims of the attack.

"The villages were burnt to the ground. No house was left standing in Kigam village. The most pathetic is the picture of children less than two years also killed. Children, youths, women, the aged and the infirm were all victims," said the organization in the statement.

SOKAPU asserted that the government has not taken any action to protect the villages that are often attacked by the militants despite appeals from the villagers.

"The pattern that has emerged, sadly now, is that attacks occur with impunity usually followed by fire fighting and feeble cosmetic measures by security agencies and the government that have failed to yield any dividend," the group added.

SOKAPU has called on the government to increase its efforts to prevent further attacks.

The Fulani herdsmen are also said to be responsible for continuing attacks in other parts of Nigeria's Middle Belt.

According to a report from World Watch Monitor, the Fulani herdsmen have killed 826 Christians and injured 878 people in the Middle Belt state of Nasarawa between January 2013 and May 2016.

Apart from the killings, the militants have destroyed 787 houses, nine shops and 32 vehicles. As many as 102 churches were reported destroyed or damaged. About 21,000 Christians are now living in Internally Displaced Person (IDP) camps inside and outside Nasarawa.