The United States has strongly condemned the massacre of nine members of the extended family of Rev. Ezekiel Dachomo, a prominent Plateau State cleric, calling the attack “horrific” and demanding that Nigerian authorities bring the perpetrators to justice.
In a statement issued Thursday by the US Department of State’s Bureau of African Affairs, Washington expressed deep alarm over what it described as the continued targeting of Christian communities and other vulnerable populations in Nigeria’s Middle Belt. “The United States strongly condemns the horrific killing of members of Rev. Ezekiel Dachomo’s family in Plateau State, Nigeria. The continued violence targeting Christian communities and other vulnerable populations in Nigeria’s Middle Belt is deeply alarming,” the bureau said.
The statement added that US officials had already engaged Nigerian authorities on the worsening security situation, stressing that urgent action was needed to prevent further bloodshed. The bureau reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to working with the Nigerian government to combat terrorism and violent extremism, insisting that Nigerians should be able to practice their faith without fear of violence.
The condemnation was a result of a midnight assault on July 11 in Kum community, Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State, where gunmen believed to be armed Fulani militias stormed a family compound and killed nine people, all members of Rev. Dachomo’s extended family.
The victims were identified as Celina James (38 years), Yohanna James (21 years), Janet Yohanna (18 years), Jenifer Yohanna (3 months), Sele James (18 years), Melody James (16 years), Rito James (10 years), Endurance James (8), and Peace James (3 years). Survivors reported that the attackers asked for Rev. Dachomo by name before opening fire, declaring, “Today you will learn a hard lesson.”
Dachomo, who serves as regional chairman of the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN) in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area, conducted a mass burial for the victims. During the funeral, he revealed that this was not the first time his family had been targeted. “The same people killed my grandmother. They removed her heart after killing her. My uncle was also killed, and they cut out his tongue. “Yet they will say I am lying about genocide. But I have forgiven them“, he said
Days after burying his relatives, Rev. Dachomo disclosed that he and members of his church had received a written death threat from the same group, warning that he would be their next target. “A few days ago, Fulani herdsmen sent a threatening letter to me and to members of my church. The letter was written in both Hausa and English, and its message was terrifying. They vowed to attack me and kill me soon, just as they killed nine of my relatives“, he said. Copies of the letters were handed over to security agencies.
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