13 Christians Slaughtered in Nigeria as Pregnant Women Killed in Midnight Raid

ABUJA, Nigeria — A wave of terror swept through central Nigeria early Friday as armed Fulani militants stormed a Christian community in Plateau State, killing at least 13 civilians, including three pregnant women, in one of the deadliest attacks to hit the region this year.

Residents of Ngbra Zongo, a village in Kwall District of Bassa County, said the attackers moved methodically from house to house before dawn on May 8, firing into homes where families were still asleep. Survivors described scenes of panic and devastation as gunfire echoed across the village.

Dozens of people were seriously wounded, while hundreds fled into surrounding areas, abandoning homes and belongings in fear of further violence.

“This was not a random clash,” said Joseph Chudu Yonkpa, spokesman for the Miango community. “They came deliberately while people were sleeping. This was terror.”

The killings are the latest in a widening cycle of bloodshed that has engulfed Plateau State and neighboring regions throughout 2026. Local residents say communities in Bassa, Barkin Ladi, Riyom and Bokkos have endured repeated attacks blamed on armed Fulani groups.

Lawrence Zongo, a resident of the area, said his community had suffered multiple assaults in recent years, including earlier attacks that killed a pastor and several villagers.

Just two weeks before Friday’s massacre, Pastor Ayuba Choji, his wife Chundung, and their two young children, Cyril and Endurance, were killed inside their home in the Rim area, according to church leaders.

The Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) described the family as martyrs in what it called an ongoing campaign of genocide against Christians in Nigeria.

Nigeria remains the deadliest country in the world for Christians, according to the Open Doors World Watch List 2026, which has repeatedly documented mass killings, kidnappings and targeted attacks carried out by extremist groups and armed militias.

Security analysts say the violence is fueled by a volatile mix of land disputes, climate-driven resource scarcity and the spread of radical ideologies targeting Christian farming communities across Nigeria’s Middle Belt.

Critics have accused the Nigerian government of failing to respond decisively as international human rights organizations, including the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), continue to condemn the escalating violence.

For many survivors in Plateau State, however, the international outrage has brought little comfort.

As grieving families bury the dead and displaced villagers search for safety, one question continues to haunt the region: how many more civilians must die before the killings stop?

(Sources: MSN/CDI, Truth Nigeria, ICC, Open Doors WWL 2026, Plateau State community reports)