As the world rang in 2026 with celebrations, tragedy struck in Nigeria's Plateau State. Gunmen launched a deadly assault on the Bum community in Chugwi, Vwang District, just before midnight on December 31, 2025, claiming at least seven lives and leaving families in grief. This incident highlights the persistent violence plaguing rural areas. Latest update: Recent reports indicate the death toll has risen to nine, including men, women, and children. Source
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| Gunmen carried out multiple attacks across Nigeria on New Year’s Eve. Photos courtesy of Prompt News. |
In the quiet hours leading up to the new year, while many around the globe were toasting to fresh beginnings, residents of Bum in Plateau State faced unimaginable horror. Around 11 p.m. on December 31, 2025, armed assailants struck the community, firing indiscriminately and sowing chaos among people gathered in anticipation of 2026. By Thursday morning, seven bodies had been recovered, according to the Berom Youths Moulder-Association, with ongoing searches raising concerns that more victims might be found.
This attack unfolded despite earlier security warnings about risks to several communities in Jos South Local Government Area. It adds to a wave of nationwide anxieties, where churches in Adamawa State opted to cancel their traditional "crossover services"—those late-night prayer vigils that mark the transition into the new year. The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Adamawa issued a stark advisory based on intelligence from the Department of State Services, warning of potential terrorist strikes in Yola and beyond. Prioritizing safety, CAN urged congregations to forego the gatherings, a move echoed by the state government, which scrapped its own official event.
The cancellations reflect Nigeria's deepening security crisis, where threats from various groups loom large. Sadly, the fears were realized in Plateau, contributing to a grim tally of attacks in areas like Bassa, Bokkos, and Barkin Ladi throughout 2025. This New Year's Eve violence fits a disturbing pattern of assaults timed around Christian holidays, suggesting targeted persecution. For instance, on Christmas Day 2024, Fulani militants reportedly killed 11 Christians in Benue State. The previous year, during Christmas 2023, over 140 people perished and more than 300 were injured in coordinated raids across Plateau's Christian villages.
A report from the International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law in August 2025 painted a harrowing picture: at least 7,087 Christians killed in the first 220 days of the year—averaging 32 deaths daily—alongside 7,800 abductions. Since 2009, around 185,000 Nigerians have lost their lives, including 125,000 Christians and 60,000 moderate Muslims. The destruction includes 19,100 churches razed, over 1,100 Christian communities displaced, and vast lands—about 20,000 square miles—seized. More than 600 Christian leaders have been kidnapped, with many fatalities among Catholic priests and pastors. Benue State alone saw over 1,100 Christian deaths in 2025, including the devastating Yelewata massacre in June that claimed 280 lives.
In response to this escalating crisis, the U.S. took decisive steps. In October 2025, President Donald Trump reinstated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern for religious freedom violations, a designation removed under the previous administration. Congressman Riley Moore pushed for this, citing the thousands of deaths and church destructions. Trump signaled that unchecked violence could jeopardize U.S. aid or even prompt military intervention. On Christmas Day 2025, U.S. airstrikes targeted Islamic State-affiliated sites in Sokoto State's Bauni forest, coordinated with Nigerian forces to curb the killings.
Images from the scene show masked figures in traditional garb wielding weapons in forested areas, underscoring the ongoing conflict. Photos courtesy of Prompt News capture the broader wave of New Year's Eve attacks across Nigeria.
Elsewhere, in Ondo State, gunmen torched the Ipele Divisional Police Station around 9:41 p.m. on the same night, using rifles and explosives. No casualties were reported there, and authorities denied any church involvement. This followed arrests of over 35 suspected terrorists fleeing Sokoto airstrikes, prompting heightened deployments and a manhunt.
Nigerian officials often label such perpetrators as "bandits" motivated by profit through kidnappings and rustling, but experts highlight growing ties to jihadist groups like Boko Haram, ISWAP, Ansaru, and Lakurawa. This overlap muddies the distinction between criminality and terrorism.
Nigeria's risk of atrocity crimes remains high, per the International Coalition for the Responsibility to Protect. Over 7.8 million people need humanitarian aid after 15+ years of instability. Factors like armed banditry, communal clashes, climate issues, and governance failures fuel violence in central and northwestern regions. In the northeast, Boko Haram and ISWAP persist with bombings, abductions, and assaults, displacing millions.
UN reports detail abuses by security forces, including extrajudicial killings and failures to protect vulnerable groups. The International Criminal Court sees grounds for war crimes investigations on both sides. With the military strained and impunity rife, ethnic and religious divides in states like Plateau and Benue continue to spark fears of more bloodshed.
While some view these incidents as purely criminal, others argue they stem from deeper religious and ethnic motivations, with calls for balanced reporting to include perspectives from all communities involved. The Fulani herders, for example, have cited land disputes and reprisals in their defenses, though evidence of organized extremism complicates the narrative.
Source: The Gateway Pundit