Muslim Gunmen Massacre at Least 40 Christians in Nigeria on Palm Sunday
JOS, Nigeria—At least 40 Christians were killed by suspected Muslim Fulani gunmen in a brutal attack on Zike community, Bassa, Plateau State, on Palm Sunday, April 13, 2025, President Bola Tinubu and local residents confirmed. The assault, part of a wave claiming 113 lives since March, razed homes and displaced 3,000, per Open Doors, intensifying Nigeria’s farmer-herder crisis amid a naira crash to N1,635/$1 and 40% inflation. With #PlateauMassacre trending at 200,000 posts on X, calls for justice grow as of April 15, 2025.
Palm Sunday Horror: Zike Under Siege
The attack struck late Sunday night, targeting Zike’s Christian farmers, with gunmen looting and burning homes, per resident Andy Yakubu, cited by AP. “I saw bodies—maybe 50,” Yakubu told Amnesty International, noting children and elderly among the dead. Open Doors reported 43 confirmed deaths, with survivors fleeing to Jos, per CBN News. No group claimed responsibility, but locals blamed Fulani herders, a pattern in eight recent attacks, per The Nightly. #ZikeAttack posts (90,000) shared images of charred homes, sparking outrage.
A Deadly March: 113 Killed, Communities Shattered
Since March, Fulani militias have hit eight Plateau villages, killing 113, destroying 300 homes, and displacing 3,000, per Open Doors. Attacks include three farmers killed on March 24, 11 at a funeral—including a pregnant woman and a girl—on March 27, and five women at a fellowship on April 2, per CBN News. The violence, rooted in land and water disputes, has killed 16,000 Christians since 2019, per Observatory for Religious Freedom in Africa. #PlateauCrisis posts (70,000) demand global action, citing 62,000 Christian deaths since 2000, per Genocide Watch.
Farmer-Herder Divide: Fueling a Genocide?
Plateau’s Middle Belt, split between Christian farmers and Muslim Fulani herders, faces escalating clashes, worsened by desertification, per CFR. Fulani militias, linked to Boko Haram by some, target Christian villages, sparing Muslim ones, per Barnabas Aid. “It’s ethnic cleansing with jihadist ties,” said analyst Dr. Tunde Lawal, noting 9,153 Christian deaths by Fulani since 2019, per Catholic News Agency. Yet, 34,000 Muslims also died in related violence, per Intersociety, complicating narratives. #FulaniViolence posts (50,000) split between blame and calls for peace.
Economic Woes Amplify Despair
The attacks coincide with Nigeria’s economic freefall—rice at N100,000 per bag, fuel at N950/litre, and a N659 billion market dip, per NBS. Trump’s tariffs cut $200 million in exports, and 95 million live in poverty, per World Bank. “We’re dying on farms and can’t eat,” said survivor Grace Musa, joining Jos protests. #FixNigeria posts (120,000) tie insecurity to hunger, as Dangote Refinery’s N940/litre petrol fails to ease pain, per Vanguard. Tinubu’s N500 billion security budget lags, per Reuters.
Government Response: Promises Under Scrutiny
Tinubu condemned the “heinous” attack on April 14, ordering a probe, per a State House release. “Security agencies will identify culprits,” he vowed, but no arrests were reported, per AP. Amnesty International criticized Tinubu’s measures, noting 1,336 Plateau deaths from December 2023 to February 2024. Governor Caleb Mutfwang’s curfew and N50 million aid cover 20% of displaced, per NEMA. #TinubuActNow posts (60,000) echo distrust, citing 2023’s unpunished 140 deaths, per Christianity Today.
A Cry for Justice: Nigeria’s Breaking Point
Nigeria ranks deadliest for Christians, per Global Christian Relief, with 52,000 killed since 2009, per Intersociety. “The world ignores our genocide,” said pastor John Hayab, urging UN action, per Fox News. Plateau’s toll—300 dead in 2023, 113 in 2025—tests Tinubu’s resolve, per Catholic News Agency. #PlateauMassacre posts plead for peace, but fears of reprisals grow, per TheNiche. As Zike mourns, Nigeria faces a stark choice: end the cycle or let faith and land tear it apart.
