The renaming of the Christian villages is meant to be a sign that they have been conquered and incorporated into Muslim territory.
“How Attackers Murdered Over 200 Nigerians In January Alone, Renamed ‘Conquered’ Plateau State Villages – Report,” Sahara Reporters, February 15, 2024:
No fewer than 200 defenceless civilians were murdered by gunmen and extremists nationwide in January 2024 alone including attacks on Barkin Ladi and Bokkos areas of Plateau State, a report by the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) has stated.
The armed attackers also had a culture of renaming some of the villages they sacked, the report added, while citing how “Rankum was renamed Mahanga; Fass in Riyom (renamed Tafawa), Gwoi in Barkin Ladi (renamed Lugere), Fit ma Bucher (renamed Magaraje), Farandong Hai (renamed Josho) and Horop Mushere (renamed Dajin Gwamna) all in Bokkos.”
The Intersociety report released on Wednesday to SaharaReporters called on the international community to intensify their campaigns against ethno-religious persecution in Nigeria and compel the President Bola Tinubu-led government to respect religious freedom and human rights.
The report partly read, “Many of the Plateau Christian villages uprooted and sacked by Jihadist herdsmen have been renamed including: Rankum (renamed Mahanga), Fass in Riyom (renamed Tafawa), Gwoi in Barkin Ladi (renamed Lugere), Fit ma Bucher (renamed Magaraje), Farandong Hai (renamed Josho) and Horop Mushere (renamed Dajin Gwamna) all in Bokkos; all of which currently serve as staging grounds for more Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen attacks in Plateau State.
“The attacks on defenceless Nigerians in the past 13 months (Jan 2023-Jan 2024) also led to the burning down or wanton destruction of more than 20,000 houses and uprooting and sacking of no fewer than 500 communities in the ten worst hit States of Plateau, Benue, Southern Kaduna and other parts of the state; Niger, Taraba, Borno, Yobe, Adawama, Kebbi, FCT, Kogi and Enugu State where over 22 communities have been attacked or threatened with Jihadist herdsmen and nomad militia attacks.
“The most shocking of it all is that the herdsmen operate freely and unchallenged with impunity and reckless abandon; with the Nigerian Security Forces (NSFs), widely accused of turning blind eyes or looking the other side; except when it comes to protection of cows and their herders.
“Instances of the Nigerian Military’s brazen partisanship and biasness in the massacre of Nigerians are too many to be mentioned….
somehistory says
Snakes, sons of demons, committing genocide, doing their ‘father’s desires.’
John Forbes says
The WEST will ignore this primarily because they are Nigerian and – do not really count! A totally and utterly disgraceful attitude!!
John Forbes says
The other huge issue is that these people are CHRISTIANS and the
West could care less about Christians!
Tony Rice says
That the Pope, Archbishop of Canterbury and King Charles do and say nothing is a disgrace, but the U N doing nothing is to be expected, corrupt as it is.
Andy says
Boko Haram is the African equivalent of Hamas. Every member of that filth should be captured and immediately executed.
tim gallagher says
Typical Muslim behaviour. And because it is in Africa it will probably get no attention whatsoever. How you get idiots, or maybe just cowards, like the Pope defending islam is a mystery and also a complete disgrace. What annoys me is that our western societies treat the intolerant, vicious Muslims so well. The followers of hate-filled, murderously violent islam do not deserve to be treated with tolerance. islam should be treated as the poison that it plainly is and shut out of all non-Muslim countries.
James Lincoln says
The slaughter of Christians in Nigeria will continue until:
1. Nigeria runs out of Christians.
or
2. Muslims run out of bullets.
Number one being the most likely scenario.