Scores of Christians are dead after a group of Islamic Fulani militants carried out a vicious attack on three Christian villages in Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State, Nigeria.
The attacks, which took place on 26th January and 27th in the villages of Kwatas, Rubio, and Marish, resulted in the death of 32 believers and the burning down of four churches.
The extent of the damage was not limited to places of worship, however. International Christian Concern (ICC) reports that at least 65 compounds were burnt or razed in Rubio and another 45 compounds in Marish, leaving roughly 7,500 people "without homes, churches, or access to food and work."
Following the murders, an emotional mass burial took place on 30th January for 20 of the victims.
"The mass burial has been conducted and 20 bodies were buried; women and children who put on black clothes all gathered," said community youth leader, John Akans. "Bokkos community was in a mourning mood."
ICC's regional manager for Africa, lamented that the attacks in Nigeria -- particularly at the hands of Islamic fighters -- have become devastatingly common.
He said: "These kinds of attacks on Christians in Nigeria are so commonplace that the world finds it easy to turn a blind eye. Few care that there are people killed daily. International media and organizations want to pass these kinds of tragedies off as normal or historical. They want to say that there could not be a religious motivation for them.
"That would make it too difficult to deal with. For the people involved daily, however, this is life and death. The world can no longer turn a blind eye. We have to be willing to call this what it is: murder. The Nigerian government must be held accountable for not protecting its citizens, and the perpetrators must be punished.
"The Nigerian government must also show its commitment to the nation's Christian citizens by helping to rebuild their places of worship which are daily burned down or destroyed."
