Rev. Ezekiel Dachomo, the Regional Chairman of the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN) in Barkin Ladi, has recounted in a harrowing account how certain Muslim individuals he generously sheltered allegedly turned against his family and community in an extremely violent and cruel manner. The cleric shared the details in a video released by Equipping the Persecuted on X (formerly Twitter), highlighting both the scale and the brutality of the attacks.
According to Rev. Dachomo, he took in stranded Muslims during times of hardship, providing them with food purchased from his own resources and allowing them access to the church for prayer. He described his actions as efforts to promote peace and hospitality, yet, tragically, these same individuals allegedly betrayed that trust. He claims that they committed horrific acts, including killing his grandmother and removing her heart, murdering his uncle and removing his tongue, and burning his lifelong friend, along with the friend’s wife and five children. The cleric’s vivid recounting underscores the brutality and the emotional trauma inflicted on his family and community.
Rev. Dachomo questioned the seeming imbalance of peace efforts in the region. He expressed frustration that while Christians consistently sought to live peacefully with their Muslim neighbors, their goodwill was often met with violent aggression. “Why is it that one side is supplying peace while the other side does not believe in peace, especially from the Islamic perspective? They don’t want to give us peace. They have been coming to our village to live with us, but in the end, they attacked us mercilessly, which led to the killing of my grandmother,” he lamented.
The cleric also alleged that these attacks are part of a recurring pattern, with Almajirai allegedly exploiting Christian hospitality to later carry out assaults on the same communities. He emphasized that despite repeated aggressions, Christians in the area have refrained from retaliating against the attackers’ communities, highlighting a commitment to peace even amid repeated violence. “And they have been visiting that village repeatedly to attack us, but we have never visited their Ruga area to carry out attacks on them,” he explained.
Beyond the personal losses, Rev. Dachomo claimed that lands belonging to Christians have been seized by terrorists, with reporting such incidents often leading to additional conflicts rather than resolution. He stressed that these ongoing atrocities require urgent attention and called on the Senate Committee on Security to take decisive action to enable displaced Christians to safely return to their lands. The cleric also urged Nigerians and the international community to acknowledge that acts of genocide are occurring in parts of the country, warning that continued silence could perpetuate further violence and suffering.
Rev. Dachomo’s testimony paints a grim picture of the security challenges faced by Christian communities in Barkin Ladi, and serves as a call for immediate intervention, stronger protective measures, and accountability for those committing violent acts against innocent civilians. His account also underscores the human cost of the ongoing violence, highlighting both the physical and emotional toll on families and communities who continue to live under threat.