The youth wing of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Plateau State has raised an alarm over what it described as the senseless and systematic killing of Christians in the state by Islamic extremist groups and terrorists.
In a statement issued on Saturday, the CAN youths, under the auspices of YOWICAN and jointly signed by Chairman Panmak Mark Lere and Secretary General Ankuka Dekom Paul, said Christians in the state were “under siege” and were being “killed mercilessly” whenever terrorists launched attacks.
YOWICAN, reacting to a report in a national daily that Christians were not being targeted in the state, said the publication was couched in inaccuracies and half-truths aimed at downplaying the ordeal Christians were facing.
The statement noted that YOWICAN had read with deep concern a publication by Vanguard Newspaper dated 10 November 2025, with the headline: “Alleged Genocide: Nigeria not a country of concern – First Lady, CAN youths push back.”
“After getting wind of the said publication, Plateau YOWICAN reached out to verify the publication and is satisfied that the narrative of the reportage is polished with sublime subtilty which downplays and undermines the seriousness of the grand master plan to annihilate Christians from their ancestral homes, especially, in Plateau State, Benue State, and other States in Nigeria,” the statement said.
The CAN youth wing further condemned what it called the politicisation of “the gruesome massacres and murders in cold blood of Christians, especially in Plateau State,” adding that the situation was compounded by “the massive land-grabbing spree, where scores of villages and communities have been sacked from their ancestral homes and farmlands, and presently under the occupation of the marauders, murderers, terrorists, and bandits.”
“YOWICAN states unequivocally and for the record that Plateau State is not in agreement with, and completely disassociates itself from, the position credited to the National Chairman of YOWICAN in the said publication and cautions such utterances, which should not be in the midst of abundant evidence of the massacres and mass graves.”
“We request the National Chairman of YOWICAN to come to Plateau and see the devastation and ruins for himself. YOWICAN find this report as a mockery of the grief and losses of Christians in Nigeria in the face of the reality of this unprovoked genocide.”
Speaking on the realities on the ground, the group added, “Christians in Plateau State have been under siege. What is happening here is not communal or ethnic or tribal conflict; it is pure genocide in all its ramifications.
“Our people are being killed virtually daily, our lands are being grabbed continually, our communities are grazed down by fire, and our killers and attackers take over our homes.
“The narrative of the ‘farmer-herder clash’ is a lie brewed and baked from hell to sidetrack the truth from being accepted.
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“From 2001 to 2025, official government records reveal that over 11,749 people have been killed, scores of communities have been taken over and presently being occupied by the killers, and thousands of inhabitants have been displaced in Plateau State alone.”
The group also cited findings by a fact-finding committee led by Major General Nicholas Rogers (rtd.), which recorded 35% loss of livestock, 32.5% displacement, 16.8% destruction of food supply, 9.9% destruction of houses, and 3.4% illegal land occupation and grabbing.
According to YOWICAN, “These are not abstract figures, they represent human lives, families, communities erased from the map, destinies, futures, and hopes snuffed out.”
The group also issued a set of demands, urging the Federal and Plateau State Governments to:
“Recognize the killings on the Plateau as religiously motivated genocide whereby Christians are sought to be annihilated and their ancestral homes and farmlands taken over by conquest.
“Investigate, effect arrests, and prosecute perpetrators and their financiers with regular updates on ongoing prosecutions and convictions.
“Support displaced persons to reclaim their ancestral homes and farmlands, return the IDPs safely to their ancestral homes and farmlands, rebuild their homes, resettle them, and provide basic necessities for the people.
“Strengthen security in all affected communities to forestall possible future relapse or occurrence of these attacks, land grabbing, and mockery of faith.”
The statement concluded with a firm declaration, “For too long, we have buried our dead in silence—sometimes in shallow graves, amid ongoing attacks. Enough is enough. We will no longer allow our pain to be politicised or our voices silenced.
“The world must hear, see, and know the truth, our pains and plight – Christians in Plateau State and in Nigeria are under great persecution.”
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