Nigerian Christians face latest massacre by militant Muslims

While the world's eyes are locked onto the conflict between Israel and Iran in the Middle East, Christians everywhere continue to face violent persecution.

Nigeria's Catholic population has been facing what appears to be their systematic removal by their Muslim neighbors, and an attack over the weekend is the latest example of a long train of persecution.

'These cold-blooded attacks on defenseless communities where countless have been slaughtered ... are an affront to God.'

Muslim Fulani militants "raided a predominantly Catholic Christian town" in Benue State, Nigeria, killing over 200 Christians overnight, according to a Saturday morning post by Save the Persecuted Christians on X. The post included graphic images of the victims of the massacre, reporting that they were "butchered and burned" during the attack.

"This is genocide," the initial post concluded.

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Photo by AUDU MARTE/AFP via Getty Images

The Christian charity speculated that this attack was in "retaliation" for Makurdi Bishop Wilfred Anagbe's recent testimony before the U.S. Congress in which he said, "A long-term, Islamic agenda to homogenize the population has been implemented, over several presidencies, through a strategy to reduce and eventually eliminate the Christian identity of half of the population."

Although Benue State, Nigeria, is overwhelmingly Catholic, this area has faced a series of escalating attacks by militant Muslims in the past months.

"These cold-blooded attacks on defenseless communities where countless have been slaughtered, homes destroyed, and families left in anguish — are an affront to God, a stain on our shared humanity, and a terrifying reminder of the utter breakdown of security in our land," Archbishop Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji of Owerri said at a recent conference.

Despite the brutal conditions for the Christian population in Nigeria, outlets like OSV News and others have reported that the Church is growing in the violence-stricken country.

"The Catholic Church grows in the country, with a record number of confirmations and Mass attendance," OSV News reported

On Sunday, Pope Leo XIV prayed for "security, justice, and peace" in Nigeria, with a special intention for the “rural Christian communities of the Benue State who have been relentless victims of violence."

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