Christian youth leaders from Benue, Southern Bauchi, Southern Kaduna, and Plateau States have raised alarm over what they described as coordinated and religiously motivated attacks on their communities.
In a joint press conference held on Friday in Jos, the youths, representing major Christian denominations and youth bodies including NKST, COCIN, ECWA, and YOWICAN, condemned the continued killings, destruction of farmlands, and forceful occupation of ancestral lands in the Middle Belt region.
Jethro Moor, who read the text on behalf of the group, rejected the widespread narrative of “farmers-herders clashes,” calling it a false and misleading description of the violence.
According to them, the attacks are not mere communal conflicts or struggles over land but a calculated campaign of ethnic cleansing and religious persecution targeted at indigenous Christian populations. They pointed to the systematic nature of the assaults and the frequent use of religious slogans by the attackers as evidence of their claims.
“These are not random attacks. We are being persecuted. Entire communities are being wiped out, farmlands destroyed, and survivors forced to flee. Our women and children are the worst affected,” the group stated, emphasising that violence such as kidnappings, rapes, forced conversions, and abductions has become rampant in the region.
The group also highlighted systemic discrimination against their people, citing the refusal of the Bauchi State Government to recognise the already gazetted Zaar Chiefdom, and the imposition of Muslim traditional rulers on predominantly Christian communities. They argued that such acts further deepen the marginalisation and erasure of their indigenous identity.
In their list of demands, the youth leaders called for the disarmament of the attackers, the return of displaced persons to their ancestral homes, issuance of certificates of occupancy, and full prosecution of perpetrators. They also demanded impartiality from security agencies and the protection of farmers from harassment by cattle herders.
“We demand that the Nigerian government call a spade a spade. What is happening is ethnic cleansing and must be treated as such,” they insisted.
The group further urged the government to review the country’s security architecture to empower community policing and enhance public confidence in security agencies.
They warned against the politicisation of the crisis. “Justice is the foundation of peace. If the government fails to act decisively, the country risks a total breakdown of law and order, the group concluded.
