Attacks Kill Dozens of Nigerian Christians During Easter

Gunmen launched a series of attacks on Christian communities across Nigeria's Middle Belt and northern regions during Holy Week and Easter, killing dozens and abducting others in incidents that highlighted ongoing security challenges. The violence, which spanned from Palm Sunday on March 29 to Easter Sunday on April 5, targeted worshippers and residents in states including Plateau, Borno, Nasarawa, Benue, and Kaduna, according to local officials and community leaders.

In Kaduna State's Ariko village, about 62 miles north of Abuja, assailants raided an Evangelical Church Winning All service and a nearby Catholic church dedicated to St. Augustine during Easter celebrations. The attack left at least five people dead, with funerals held the following day, residents said. The Nigerian Army reported that troops responded swiftly, engaging the gunmen in a firefight and rescuing 31 abducted civilians, including women and children. The military statement noted blood trails suggesting the attackers suffered casualties before fleeing, and said additional forces were deployed to pursue them and secure the area.

Local residents and the Christian Association of Nigeria disputed the army's...