Another Quiet Christian Village in Nigeria Was Just Attacked — and 20 More Lives Were Lost

Armed attackers killed 20 people in the largely Christian farming community of Kawel in Nigeria’s Bokkos Local Government Area in the early hours of June 21.

Open Doors reported that a group of armed individuals struck the village, clashing with police before fleeing. Eighteen people died at the scene and two more later in the hospital. A 14-year-old remained under treatment.

The assailants shot Rev. Markus Nyam, who died outside a church building. Other victims included a mother, father, and two of their sons, as well as a pregnant woman and medical staff from a clinic. Police reportedly arrived hours after the attack began.

Bishop Ayuba Matawal said the delayed response “left the defenceless community entirely at the mercy of their assailants.” Residents identified the attackers as Fulani herdsmen, members of a largely Islamic group frequently linked to assaults on Christian villages in northern and central Nigeria.

One resident, Tongret Ezekiel, described the attackers as “terrorists” and criticized authorities for appearing more focused on recovering bodies than protecting the living. Between October 2024 and September 2025, 72 percent of Christians killed for their faith worldwide lived in Nigeria, according to monitoring groups.

Additional violence continues to spread, with a new jihadist group called Lakurawa emerging in the northwest with advanced weapons and reported ties to al-Qaeda.