Fulani herdsmen carried out several attacks against Christians in the past two months in central Nigeria, Benue state, leaving at least 38 people dead, many more wounded, and even more forced to leave their homes and live in camps.

Fulani herdsmen are predominantly Muslim, and most of their clans live peacefully in the Sahel region and Nigeria. However, some of the clans adopted extremist views and similar strategies to Boko Haram.

The latest attack by Fulani herdsmen was carried out on August 23. The armed herdsmen attacked Iwari and Olegagbane villages in Agatu County, Benue state, Nigeria. In the attack, six Christians were killed and many more injured. Local officials confirmed the attack.

“It’s true that there have been series of attacks on some of the communities in recent months by armed Fulani herdsmen. And during these attacks, many villagers were killed by the invaders who also set fire on houses. There are also currently over 2,000 villagers from the affected communities who are living in deplorable conditions in camps,”

said Phillip Ebenyakwu, chairman of the Agatu Local Government Area Council. Through the last two months, in July and August, there were several attacks on Christian villages by Fulani herdsmen. These attacks left at least 38 people dead in Agatu Local Government Area alone; many more are wounded, numerous houses were burned, and thousands were forced to leave their homes.

According to Godwin Edoh, a member of the Benue State House of Assembly from Agatu, the attacks of the extremist herdsmen deliberate target Christian settlements, and the Nigerian government has to make more precautions, has to protect its citizens, and has to deal with the problem of Islamist attacks. Police have been deployed in multiple locations to try to end the attacks.

Source: Christian Daily