Nigerian Leaders Allegedly Ignore Intelligence As Christians Slaughtered During Holy Week

Dozens of Nigerians were killed in a Christian area on Palm Sunday, days after U.S. officials and advocates said the African country refuses to protect Christians.

Plateau state authorities faced public outcry after at least 28 people were killed and others injured in north Jos, a mainly Christian neighborhood, local leaders said, according to Truth Nigeria. Witnesses said armed men on motorcycles and started to shoot locals while shouting “Allahu Akbar.” The incident took place on Palm Sunday, the beginning of the Christian Holy Week and just days after the Daily Caller attended a March 25 intelligence briefing on Christian killings in Nigeria.

The Plateau incident follows a pattern of attacks against Christian Nigerians last Easter season. Videos have shown lines of dead bodies, some of them even covered by palm fronds. (RELATED: Gang Attacks Leave Dozens Dead In Nearby Country Before International Forces Arrive)

While Reuters cited experts and politicians claiming climate change and agricultural development were to blame for the increase of attacks against Christians and moderate Muslims in Nigeria’s “middle belt,” U.S. officials and on-the-ground advocates disagree.

GRAPHIC WARNING: Gunmen attacked a university community in Nigeria’s central Plateau state, killing at least 30 people, residents and local officials said, the latest bloodshed in a region scarred by deadly farmer-herder conflicts https://t.co/XBOQ53SUax pic.twitter.com/iOdePEcnM3

— Reuters (@Reuters) March 30, 2026

One witness, Samson Chiroma, told Truth Nigeria that the gunmen split into three groups, with one specifically targeting “Palm Sunday celebrations and commercial activities.”

“All of them carried assault rifles,” he said. “Some also carried machetes, which they used on victims who did not die immediately.”

“Minutes after the attackers began withdrawing, soldiers arrived on two trucks and on motorcycles,” the witness said, alleging the troops refused to chase the attackers and fired on local pursuers.

Chiroma was not the only one to point out the Nigerian government’s alleged lack of action against such attackers.

TOPSHOT – Armed Nigerian army officers stand inside military vehicles parked outside the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in Awka, Nigeria, on February 24, 2023, ahead of the Nigerian presidential elections scheduled for February 25, 2023. (Photo by PATRICK MEINHARDT/AFP via Getty Images)

The March 25 intelligence briefing was held in Washington, D.C., and hosted by Equipping the Persecuted in coordination with Truth Nigeria. Judd Saul, the head of both groups, said the Nigerian military had verified intelligence regarding the location of gunmen but refused to take decisive action to stop them.

The Nigerian government had decided to investigate Judd’s terror alerts, gathered by on-the-ground sources, for the first time, according to Saul. They allegedly found more than a thousand members of the Fulani Ethnic Militia (FEM) armed with automatic weapons and motorcycles and gathering for an ambush.

The Nigerian patrol began to attack the FEM, and upon the FEM’s retreat, the Nigerian commander received a call ordering them not to pursue, according to Saul.

“Here’s specifically where they are; the whole world can see it right here,” Judd said as he moved through a slide detailing the alleged positions of the FEM. “Confirmed! This is where [FEM] is gearing up for a massacre.”

“This, once again, folks, proves government complicity in the slaughter of Christians in Nigeria,” Judd alleged.

Christians massacred on Palm Sunday in the city of Jos. pic.twitter.com/6Ssksz1ULi

— Barbir (@Alex_Barbir) March 29, 2026

American Christian rights advocate Alex Barbir was in Nigeria at the time and filmed a video calling out Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu for alleged inaction while standing in front of what appears to be a bonfire.

“Tinubu, where are you? As your people are slaughtered in the night,” Barbir said. “When will it stop? When will you hear the cries of Nigerians? Of Christians? You can no longer deny genocide. They’re being slaughtered. And you say there’s no issue.”

Republican West Virginia Rep. Riley Moore, who co-sponsored legislation to battle the killing of Nigerian Christians and was called on by President Donald Trump to investigate and report back to him about the issue, said the Plateau state incident was “sickening and unacceptable, but it’s not surprising” in a post Sunday.

Moore said it follows a pattern of “radical Islamic terrorists massacring Christians on holy days,” claiming Christmas, when Trump launched 12 Tomahawk cruise missiles in coordination with the Nigerian government, was the only exception. (RELATED: Is Trump Being Used By The Nigerian Government?)

The Nigerian government knows about this pattern and “must massively ramp up security” for Easter, according to the congressman.

“If they don’t take this threat seriously and mobilize to defend our brothers and sisters in Christ, blood of these martyrs will be on their hands, and there will be significant consequences for Nigeria’s relationship with the United States,” Moore concluded.

@SamuelBrownback warns Nigeria that continued ignorance of Christian slaughtering could lead to a “violent split-up of the country” in the next 6–18 months: urges them to accept US’s help.

“There will be significant, difficult consequences.” pic.twitter.com/DbukO09HmL

— Derek VanBuskirk (@DerekVBK) March 26, 2026

Nigerian inaction could cause “a violent split-up of the country” within the next six to 18 months and urged them to accept the help of the U.S, former senator, governor and ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom Sam Brownback said at the briefing.

“If you don’t, there will be significant, difficult consequences that you, Africa, and the rest of the world are going to deal with,” he continued.

Saul issued a warning to Nigerian locals in harm’s way Monday, alleging that the FEM is gathering en masse to attack Benue and Plateau states and is planning attacks in Southern Kaduna, Chikun, Kafanchan, Kajuru and Taraba.

“Nothing has slowed down, nothing is stopped. In fact, more Fulani have been gathering in those areas as well,” Saul said, adding that this “is just the beginning.” (RELATED: Raid On Christian Town Sparks Violence, Protest Before Palm Sunday: REPORT)

Saul also called on Tinubu and Nigerian officials to defend their own people and allow them to celebrate Easter without fear.

The Daily Caller reached out to the Nigerian President’s Office for comment.