At least 53 people were killed in attacks on predominantly Christian communities in Nigeria’s Plateau and Kaduna states on Sunday, according to International Christian Concern (ICC), a Washington-based religious organization.
Of the total, at least 40 deaths were reported in and around Ungwan Rukuba in Jos North, Plateau State, following a late-night attack, while another 13 people were killed in an early morning assault on Kahir village in neighboring Kaduna State, ICC said.
Plateau State authorities imposed a 48-hour curfew on Jos North on Sunday after gunmen raided the Gari Ya Waye community in Angwan Rukuba. Officials said the assault claimed 28 lives and left several others wounded.
ICC said another 10 people died in separate gunfire reported earlier on Sunday in Eto Baba and nearby student residential areas, adding that the victims were Christians.
Police have reported they received a distress call at about 8:30 PM reporting gunfire in the Angwan Rukuba area and launched a joint operation with other security agencies to track down the attackers.
“The victims were law-abiding citizens going about their normal activities when the enemies of peace unleashed this senseless attack,” Plateau State Governor Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang said in a statement posted on Facebook on Monday.
He condemned the incident as “barbaric and unprovoked” and said a 48-hour curfew in Jos North will remain in place until April 1 to allow “security operatives to carry out thorough operations and ensure the safety of all residents.”
Plateau State, in Nigeria’s central Middle Belt, has long been hit by violence linked to land disputes, communal tensions and reprisals, with the conflict often portrayed as ethno-religious between mainly Muslim Fulani herders and mostly Christian farming communities.
On March 13, gunmen ambushed a joint patrol in the Kanam area of Plateau State, reportedly killing at least 20 security personnel and vigilantes, including two senior military officers.
The state government has said one suspect linked to the latest attack has been arrested, while police say security forces are still searching for the gunmen.
The West African nation has faced a surge in violence since November, with US President Donald Trump placing Nigeria on the list of Countries of Particular Concern amid allegations that more than 7,000 Christians were killed there in 2025 alone.
Washington has since deployed military personnel to Nigeria in a non-combat role to provide training, technical support and intelligence sharing, after previously carrying out airstrikes against Islamic militants in the country’s northwest on December 25.