Radicals gun down dozens of Christians in Nigeria on Palm Sunday

Victims of the attack. Photo: persecution.org

On March 29, 2026, Catholic Palm Sunday, armed militants killed at least 30 people in the Ungwan Rukuba community in Nigeria’s Plateau State, according to the human rights organization International Christian Concern.

The attack took place in the evening, when the radicals entered a residential area and opened fire on local residents. Witnesses described the assault as coordinated. In a video statement, humanitarian worker Alex Barbir stressed that the victims were Christians marking a church holiday. After the attack, state authorities imposed a 48-hour curfew, but young people took to the streets in protest against the mass killings.

Witnesses gave differing accounts of the attackers. Some identified them as members of Boko Haram, while others said they were Fulani herdsmen who "arrived on motorcycles, fired sporadically, and retreated toward nearby mountainous areas."

Data compiled from previous reports indicates that attacks on Christian communities have occurred in Plateau state during the Easter period in recent years.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that Islamists in Nigeria had killed a pastor of an evangelical church.

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