Fulani Militia Targets Nigerian Pastor After Killing Nine Family Members
Explorehotelworld.com – Rev. Ezekiel Dachomo, a prominent Nigerian minister who recently gained international attention through President Trump’s social media posts, faces a personal tragedy alongside his ongoing advocacy work. The religious leader has confirmed that nine relatives perished in a violent assault, and now believes he stands next on the militia’s list of targets. Dachomo serves as the regional head of the Church of Christ in Nations across Nigeria’s Middle Belt region. His ministry has made him a vocal opponent of attacks against Christians carried out by radicalized Muslim Fulani fighters. Following the recent killings, he announced that the same armed group had delivered a formal death threat directed at him personally.
A Devastating Attack on the Family Compound
According to several witnesses, the assault occurred on July 12 at the family compound located in the Riyom district of Plateau State. The attackers reportedly arrived searching specifically for Dachomo, calling out questions such as “where is the father of this house?” before declaring “Today, you will learn a hard lesson.” They then unleashed indiscriminate gunfire across the compound. Among the victims was an infant only two months old. The pastor shared his experience on the social media platform X, writing that Fulani herdsmen had delivered a frightening letter to him and his church members just days before the attack. The message contained explicit vows to assault and murder him, mirroring the fate of his nine relatives. Dachomo reflected on his ministry during difficult times, stating: “I know what it means to stand before grieving families whose only crime was refusing to deny Jesus Christ.” He questioned whether his advocacy work made him a target, asking: “Is my crime that I tell the stories of persecuted Christians in Nigeria, so the world will not forget them?”
International Response and Documentation
Judd Saul, founder of Equipping the Persecuted, explained to Fox News Digital that the Islamist Fulani ethnic militia harbors particular animosity toward Pastor Ezekiel because he motivates Nigerian Christians to recognize their circumstances. His organization focuses on combating religious persecution throughout Nigeria, with special emphasis on ending radical Islamist violence directed at Christian communities. The U.S. State Department has joined forces with leading American Christian nonprofits to pressure Nigerian authorities into stronger action. A State Department representative described the situation to Fox News Digital as “a shocking level of violence against Christians” occurring in the Middle Belt region.
Broader Context of Religious Violence
Dachomo reported conducting more than seventy mass burials for Christians by the conclusion of 2025. Funeral services have continued into the current year, with one particularly notable event captured in a post that President Trump highlighted. That image showed the pastor leading the funeral service for approximately twenty believers. A comprehensive six-year study published by the Observatory for Religious Freedom in Africa (ORFA) provides crucial statistical context. The research revealed that Islamic Fulani militias represent the most lethal persecutors of Christians within Nigeria. The findings demonstrated that the Fulani militia network causes four times as many civilian casualties as Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province combined. The ORFA report documented that terror-related incidents resulted in 79,323 deaths across Nigeria between 2019 and September 2025, averaging thirty-six fatalities daily. Islamic Fulani groups accounted for forty-four percent of these deaths, significantly exceeding the twelve percent attributed to Boko Haram and ISWAP together. Saul expressed confidence that violence would persist, noting that his organization recorded over forty Christian deaths within a single week. He warned that substantial attacks were imminent. A State Department spokesperson extended condolences to the families of those killed in Plateau State and urged Nigerian authorities to ensure accountability while implementing measures to enhance Christian security. During diplomatic meetings held in Abuja between July 13 and 15, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Frank engaged with Nigerian officials regarding the escalating crisis.
