Nigerian Christians Just Fought Back: 60 Vigilantes With Homemade Shotguns Repelled a Fulani Militia Assault on Barkin Ladi

Three Southern Kaduna Villages Successfully Defended as Christian Communities Tire of Waiting for a Government That Will Not Protect Them

For the first time in months, Nigerian Christian communities are fighting back against Fulani ethnic militia attacks. Sixty volunteer vigilantes armed with homemade shotguns, alongside 40 police officers, successfully prevented the breach of Barkin Ladi's perimeter in Plateau State during a coordinated 9 May assault. The same week, residents and vigilantes in Southern Kaduna repelled attacks on three villages.

The fightback came at a cost. 34 people have been killed across Kogi, Plateau, and Kaduna states in the past week, including eight Christians and one police inspector in the Barkin Ladi attacks.

Nigerian Christian Self Defence Repels Fulani Attacks for the First Time

The locations affected: Edede and Ochipu in Kogi (8 killed), Barkin Ladi, Sabon Layi, Rakung, and Gangare in Plateau (9 killed, 11 wounded), Maro Audu, Ungwan Shawa Maro, and Kutura Rimi in Kaduna (resistance succeeded). One bright spot: Reverend Nathaniel Asuwaye, kidnapped on 7 February, was released on 12 May.

"Fulani Ethnic militias were stopped from taking over the town, but eight Christians, including a police inspector, were killed," reported one local source. The pattern is shifting. After years of waiting in vain for the Nigerian government to defend them, Christian communities are picking up homemade shotguns and standing their ground. The cost is high. The alternative, mass slaughter without resistance, is higher still.

The Crusader's Opinion

For decades the Nigerian state has failed to defend its Christians. The Tinubu government has watched Plateau and Kaduna villages burn, has stationed soldiers who go missing during attacks, and has denied incidents witnessed by hundreds. Now the Christians are arming themselves with homemade shotguns and refusing to die quietly. Self defence is a biblical principle. Romans 13 calls the magistrate to bear the sword. When the magistrate refuses, the people must bear it themselves. Western governments must condition aid to Nigeria on real protection. Until then, the homemade shotgun is the last line of defence for Christian Nigeria.

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• Donate: Truth Nigeria reporting on Christian resistance
• Pray: For the 60 vigilantes at Barkin Ladi, the police officers, and Rev. Asuwaye now home
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• Share: The homemade shotgun resistance story and ask "Why must Nigerian Christians defend themselves?"