Christmas Massacre In Nigeria

Hundreds dead and thousands displaced in brutal attacks. A look at what this says about the future security of the giant of West Africa

There was an attack on innocent civilians in the North of Nigeria over Christmas. 150 people were killed by official estimates by what are being called Fulani militants. The victims we’ve been told were christian and the attackers muslim but this has been disputed in terms of whether it was explicitly religiously motivated. So what is going on in this region of Nigeria and what does it say about the future security of the nation and west Africa as a whole?

image is representative and not from the actual attacks

Christmas Horror

The Christmas 2023 massacre occurred in Plateau State, central Nigeria, a region with a history of ethnic and religious strife. The area has seen longstanding conflicts between Christian farmers and nomadic Fulani herdsmen, often revolving around land use, religious differences, and socio-economic tensions.

On Christmas Eve 2023, armed groups launched a series of devastating attacks on Christian villages in the Bokkos, Barkin Ladi, and Mangu counties of Plateau State. Reports indicated that 150 - 200 villagers were killed, with many more injured and thousands displaced. The Nigerian Red Cross noted that the attacks affected over 32,000 people, with 301 injured and 27 houses burned. The attacks were brutal according to reports. We’re talking innocent people being mowed down with automatic weapons.

Who Will Protect Us?

While no group immediately claimed responsibility, the attacks were widely attributed to Nigerian Fulani militias. These groups have been involved in previous conflicts in the region, often linked to the farmer-herder crisis.

The question here is where exactly is the Nigerian government and what are they doing? Amnesty International called for an independent investigation, citing delayed response times and inadequate protection for vulnerable communities. International Christian Concern and other humanitarian groups also criticized the government's approach, emphasizing the need for more effective security measures and support for the victims.

The international community, including the United Nations, African Union, European Union, and the United States, condemned the violence.

I don’t have time for all this condemnations talk. That is all they’ve been doing for decades is condemning violence in Africa while at the same time doing nothing to hold African leaders accountable for their inaction. If you believe the Nigerian government have been dragging their feet about this then where is the public castigation? What are the consequences? The truth is they don’t care and that is why a handful of militants in the jungle can survive for years attacking Northern Nigeria and they’re not weeded out and exterminated.

Need For A New Direction

Niger had the same issues we have in Nigeria. They had French troops in the country allegedly helping them fight these insurgents. In the years the French had been there, they did not eradicate the problem. Niger had a coup recently, ousted the French military and took on the responsibility of fighting the militants. Within a matter of weeks the Niger army had wiped out the militant forces and for the first time in a generation they have peace and security in the region. Now are you going to tell me the French were not supporting the insurgents? Are you going to tell Niger that the French really wanted to stop the attacks the country was facing?

The Niger army were able to do what the mighty French could not. This is why more and more west African nations are fighting back against Neo Colonialism and it is a question of time for when British former colonies do what French former colonies have done. Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Uganda are not going to get away with this nonsense for much longer. The people will demand change and at some point will force change.

Military Might

There are two allegations that are also particularly disturbing. One is that some believe the Nigerian military were involved in these attacks because the assailants used military grade weapons and ammunition. How did they get them hiding out in the jungle? There are even claims that the militants were military in disguise. None of this is proven but they are questions to be asked.

We also have the fact that there is mining going on in the region and the possibility that all this unrest is designed to create enough chaos to distract from clandestine operations there and in the end push out the people on that land so it can be acquired and exploited by foreign interests. Sure some of these may sound like conspiracy theory but when you look at the lack of political will to change this situation you have to take the hypotheses I’m presenting seriously.

Aftermath

One of the stories from this massacre that really hit home was the account from a man who said he and his family couldn’t sleep after the attack because they were scared the militants would come back. You have Nigerian citizens scared to go to sleep at night int heir own homes and all the Nigerian government have done is have the vice president go and take pictures shaking the hands of the villagers there. What was even crazier is some of the villagers had their phones out recording and taking pictures of the vice president like he was a celebrity come to town. They were happy that he was there rather than asking ‘what are you going to do to stop this ever happening again.’

This is why this platform we have here and others like it are so important. We have to be the voice for Africans that are either too naive to know what needs to happen for them to have a better life.