Plateau Christian Massacre: Rev. Ezekiel Dachomo Urges U.S. and Global Intervention Amid Middle Belt Crisis

By Godwin Okafor

Plateau State, Nigeria – October 27, 2025 – The ongoing wave of violence targeting Christian communities in Nigeria’s Middle Belt has reached a new peak, prompting a desperate appeal from The Rev. Ezekiel Dachomo of the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN). Speaking after the mass burial of victims in Rachas village, Dachomo called on the United States government and the international community to intervene, warning of what he describes as an unfolding genocide.

The call comes in the wake of coordinated attacks by armed Fulani extremists on October 14 in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area (LGA) of Plateau State. Reports indicate at least 13 Christians were killed, numerous others injured, and countless families displaced.

“If telling the truth will cost me my life, then I have chosen to die telling it,” Dachomo said, expressing frustration over the federal government’s continued denial and inaction. “Christians are being hunted, killed, and displaced because of their faith, yet the government remains silent—or even protects the perpetrators.”

Eyewitnesses recounted that the attacks began under the cover of night. Armed militants invaded the Christian villages of Rawuru, Tatu, and Lawuru, storming mission centers during evening prayers and killing worshippers indiscriminately. In Rawuru alone, two residents were shot dead, while others fled for safety. In Tatu, 10 people were executed, homes set ablaze, and livestock stolen. Lawuru suffered similar devastation, including the loss of farmlands and more than 38 cows.

Local elders said the violence could have been mitigated.

“We informed the authorities that our communities were under threat,” a church elder in Rawuru explained. “But no one came to our aid. Now we are burying our loved ones.”

The attacks are not isolated incidents but part of a decade-long pattern of targeted violence across Plateau, Benue, Kaduna, and Taraba states, predominantly against Christian farmers. Despite thousands of deaths and mass displacement, the federal government continues to describe the crisis as mere “clashes” between farmers and herders—a narrative survivors and religious leaders reject as misleading and dangerous.

Rev. Dachomo himself has faced threats for raising alarms. Soldiers from Sector 4 of the Nigerian Army recently accused him of inciting unrest simply for warning about potential attacks.

“They accused me of knowing about the attack before it happened just because I raised an alarm,” he said. “How can we trust a system that accuses victims instead of helping them?”

Local leaders have also demanded more robust protection mechanisms. Stephen Gyang Pwajok, executive chairman of Barkin Ladi LGA, condemned the attacks as an attempt to displace indigenous Christian communities. Meanwhile, Da Paul Tadi-Tok, district leader of Heipang, urged the revival of Operation Rainbow, a community-based security initiative credited with safeguarding rural communities in Plateau. Brig. Gen. Shippi Gakji Goshwe (Rtd.), security adviser to the Plateau governor, confirmed that recruits are undergoing training to strengthen rural surveillance, though local communities remain wary due to repeated cycles of unfulfilled promises.

Dachomo, alongside investigative journalist Masara Kim, has become a visible target for exposing the truth behind the violence.

“We are now marked men,” he said, resolute. “But I will not be silent. The God who healed me from cancer in India will also save me from the cancer of terrorism destroying Nigeria.”

With thousands of displaced families living in temporary camps and church compounds, access to food, healthcare, and shelter remains severely limited. Local churches and humanitarian groups are stretched thin, appealing for international aid and for justice mechanisms to hold perpetrators accountable.

As the sun set over Rachas village, thirteen wooden coffins lay side by side—a somber reminder not just of lives lost, but of entire communities under siege.

“We are not giving up,” Dachomo said. “Our blood cries for justice, and one day, justice will come. But until then, we ask the world to see us, to hear us, and to help us.”

The international spotlight now turns to whether global powers will respond to the urgent call from Nigeria’s Middle Belt—an appeal that underscores a deepening humanitarian crisis and a nation’s plea for justice.

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Reporting by Naija247news in Lagos, Nigeria.