Christians Killed in Nigeria Today: Fulani Extremists Kill 9 in Benue State Attack

Oraduen Andy survived because he hid in an unfinished building and stayed quiet. From his hiding place, he watched armed men move from house to house through Tse-Biliji, chanting as they killed. When it was over, he told reporters: "Nine of our people were killed."

The attack came on Friday evening, October 9, 2026, in Mbatian Council Ward of Ukum Local Government Area, Benue State. More than a hundred extremists riding around 50 motorbikes split into four groups and struck four villages — Biliji was hit the hardest. Nine bodies were recovered; several residents remain missing, and fears are growing that the death toll will rise.

The attackers used machetes and guns, chasing residents who fled into the surrounding bushes. Andy, who witnessed the assault, said the gunmen arrived in his village at around 7pm; another local report put the gunfire closer to 11pm. Seven people with life-threatening injuries were evacuated to Zaki-Biam for treatment.

"Nine of our people were killed, but we have confirmed six dead bodies so far." — Oraduen Andy, eyewitness (via TruthNigeria)

What happened in the Benue State attack on October 9 2026

According to Open Doors' local partners, at least nine bodies have been recovered from Biliji and neighbouring villages, with search-and-rescue efforts continuing in the surrounding bushes. Many villagers fled their homes during the attack, Nigerian media reported. The attackers reportedly crossed into Taraba State before and after the assault.

One detail has chilled Nigerians who heard it. A community member discovered that one of the armed herdsmen was carrying a dead victim's phone — and was using it to make and receive calls. The account, first reported by Vanguard, was echoed by residents who spoke to local media.

The violence is not letting up anywhere in the region. A pastor in Plateau State buried four congregants — a father and his three sons — killed in a midnight attack just days earlier. New reporting says 7,500 Christians have been killed across Africa since January, with Nigeria accounting for the majority.

Who carried out the Tse-Biliji killings

Eyewitnesses identified the attackers as Fulani ethnic militia. Andy told TruthNigeria the gunmen spoke Fulfulde and chanted "Allahu Akbar" during the killings, and said they had come from neighbouring Taraba and Nasarawa states. Residents described the assailants arriving in large numbers, shooting sporadically and forcing people to flee their homes.

Open Doors classifies the assault as a Fulani extremist attack on Christian farming communities. Nigeria's Middle Belt has bled for years in farmer-herder violence, but rights groups say Christian communities in Benue are being systematically targeted — hit hardest at the moments they are most vulnerable.

The Peoples Democratic Party candidate for Ukum I in the Benue State House of Assembly, Livinus Tyodoo, called the invasion "one attack too many," saying he recieved disturbing reports of the deadly attacks on Friday night and into the early hours of Saturday.

Why are Fulani extremists attacking Christian farmers in Nigeria

It is harvest season — and that is exactly why the timing cuts so deep. Kewente, a spokesperson in Plateau State (name changed for security), told Open Doors: "Attacks are increasing, although deaths are fewer." Extremist Fulanis destroy crops on farms during attacks, he explained — a devastating blow at the moment christain farmers harvest the income meant to last until the next harvest.

The pattern fits a longer crisis. Nigeria's Christians face pressure on every front: a Christian mother jailed for 14 years for sharing her faith, and a Catholic priest kidnapped in Benue State earlier this month. The gunmen are not only taking lives — they are burning the means of survival.

The attacked communities have now been deserted, residents say. "The Sankera axis of Benue has become a shadow of itself due to the level of insecurity," one local told reporters. Fields that should be full of harvesters stand empty.

How Nigeria responded to the Benue attacks

Nigerian media report that on October 23, 2026, the Senate called on the federal government to immediately deploy troops to Ukum, Katsina-Ala and Logo local government areas. Lawmakers were told 113 people had died in four attacks across the state — a cumulative Senate-cited figure that has not been independently reconciled — and urged relief agencies to send aid to the displaced.

Open Doors' own numbers frame the scale of what is happening. Last year, 4,491 Christians were killed across Africa for their faith — twelve a day, one every two hours. This year's Benue harvest has added to that toll village by village, name by name.

For the families of Tse-Biliji, the question Andy's testimony forces on everyone is the simplest and the hardest: what happens to the missing still unaccounted for in the bushes — and will anyone be held responsible when the motorbikes come back?

But the most surprising part of this story is yet to come — keep reading.