Suspected Fulani militants kill 10 in Christian village in Nigeria

Jardine Malado Thursday, January 12, 2017

Three Fulani men sell traditional fabric on a road in Sevare, Mali, November 3, 2016. | Reuters/Adama Diarra

A group of Fulani Islamic militants reportedly attacked the predominantly Christian village of Kwayine in the Nigerian state of Adamawa.

Six police officers and four civilians were killed, and several houses were destroyed in the attack that occurred on Jan. 7, according to International Christian Concern (ICC).

A government worker told ICC that the militants tried to attack on Dec. 31, but they were driven away by the police and the members of the community.

"The Fulanis came into the village yesterday at about 2:00 p.m. They came upon us suddenly, chased us off, scattered us and burnt our houses. We fled. I barely escaped with my life. Only God knows where some of our people are now. We don't know what we did to them," said one of the victims.

The Fulani herdsmen, a group of nomadic people, are said to be responsible for burning down 53 villages and killing 808 people in Nigeria in the last few months of 2016.

According to Bishop Joseph Bagobiri of the Diocese of Kafanchan, the herdsmen target both Christians and moderate Muslims. He noted that the group is now in possession of sophisticated weapons such as AK-47s.

Bagobiri said that the conflicts in the past stem from social and economic issues, such as the distribution of land and shortage of grazing, but the attacks these days are now fueled by religious hatred.

"The Fulani are Muslim and the land they are attacking belongs mainly to ethnic groups that are Christian; now there is religious hatred driving the violence," he said.

According to ICC, the Nigerian government has refused to classify the herdsmen as a terrorist group despite the numerous attacks.

In Niger Delta, a group has called on its governor to ban the herdsmen in the state.

The Indigenous People of Niger Delta challenged Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa to ban the activities of herdsmen or step down from office. A recent attack in two communities in Delta resulted in the deaths of at least five farmers. The group criticized the government for staying silent despite the killings and destruction in the region.