Christian group claims ISWAP controls 80 communities in Plateau, Borno, Benue

A non-governmental organization, the Christian Rights Agenda (CRA), has raised an alarm over the unending wave of violent attacks in Plateau, Borno and Benue States.

CRA said in a statement issued on Sunday in Jos by its Secretary-General, Rev. Kallamu Musa Dikwa, that more than 80 communities in the three states have fallen under the control of Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists.

He added that his team has been closely monitoring the situation and decried the recent spates of violence as a coordinated efforts by insurgents to impose terror, religious intolerance, and complete anarchy in the affected states.

Dikwa revealed that the organisation has deployed teams to Benue, Plateau, and Borno States to gather first-hand evidence of the growing humanitarian disaster facing Christian communities.

The statement read: “Preliminary reports have confirmed that over 80 communities have already been seized by terrorists, leaving a trail of death, destruction, and mass displacement in their wake.

“The current attacks are systematic, organised, and aimed at wiping out entire Christian communities,” Rev. Dikwa stated, while warning that Nigeria stands at a dangerous crossroads if urgent action is not taken by the President Bola Tinubu-led federal government.

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‘While we commend Mr. President for issuing new marching orders to security agencies to curb the violence, CRA however, cautions that such directives must not be merely cosmetic.

“There is the need for strict implementation and accountability; security personnel who fail to deliver on their duties must be sanctioned to prevent further sabotage.

“It is no longer acceptable to downplay the gravity of the situation. Communities are being wiped out. Children, women, and the elderly are being slaughtered.

“Homes are burnt to ashes. It is genocide, and it must be called by its real name.”

He said the organisation is compiling a comprehensive database of the attacks to expose the ongoing persecution of Christians in northern Nigeria.

Dikwa promised to keep the international community informed of the deteriorating situation and warned that unless urgent and decisive measures are taken, the number of communities falling under terrorist control could multiply to destabilise the region and plunge Nigeria into deeper socio-political crises.

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