Jihadists Attack Nigerian Villages, Kill 7, Torch 250 Houses, Leave 22,000 Displaced: 'Please Pray… We Are Helpless'
Several villages in Nigeria's Miango District came under a series of severe attacks last weekend, by men identified by locals as Fulani militants.
The Irigwe Development Association, (IDA), released a press statement on Sunday reporting that 250 houses were burned down during the "unhindered" attacks.
"About seven people were killed, while several others were injured and are receiving treatment at some undisclosed hospitals," read the statement. "Over 40 hectares (approx. 100 acres) of farmland with a variety of crops were completely destroyed beyond resurrection and growth. Several household items and domestic animals were carted away."
A source for International Christian Concern, a persecution watchdog, visited the devastated areas and confirmed the attacks, adding that nine people survived gunshot wounds, while more than 22,000 people were displaced.
"We call on the international community to come to our aid," said the local ICC source. "The Nigerian government has betrayed us and allowed us to fall under the mercy of guns because of our faith."
"The military cannot help by containing the situation, but they were rather on the side of the Fulani (militants)," he added. "The house of the chief of Jebu Miango was burned down along with scores of other houses. It was a burning spree for the marauders while the security watched without saying anything. Please pray… as we are helpless."
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CBN News has previously reported on the staggering number of deaths perpetrated this year by Nigeria's Islamic jihadists which include groups like Boko Haram and the Fulani militants. The members of both of these groups are often organized radical Muslims who target Christians in their relentless attacks on villages across the West African country.
Nearly 3,500 Christians have been murdered since January, according to a recent report by the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety).
And countless children have been abducted and killed by these terror groups in their effort to gain resources and control over the country.
Open Doors Analyst Illia Djadi said Christians are routinely targeted by terrorists because of their beliefs.
"Christians are the primary target because they are not Muslims. The radicals want to turn them into Muslims by force and if they refuse, they will kill them or turn them into sex slaves," Djadi said. "They also attack moderate Muslims who don't share this radical interpretation of Islam."
Meanwhile, the mainstream media in the U.S. remains largely silent as Muslim terrorists' merciless killing of Nigerian Christians continues year after year.
The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom named Nigeria a country of particular concern in its 2021 annual report.
Nigeria is ranked 9th on Open Doors' 2020 World Watch List of countries where Christians suffer the most persecution.
