At least 218 people have been killed and more than 6,000 displaced after a spate of devastating attacks on mostly Christian villages in Benue State, a territory in the Middle Belt region of northern Nigeria. Islamic Fulani militants are suspected to be behind all six of the attacks, which targeted men, women and children.

The attacks happened between June 8 and June 14, with the deadliest on June 13 0f 2025, when a displacement camp numbering 400 people in Yelewata was attacked. The militants were first resisted by the military, only for soldiers to retreat to a market area where IDPs were taking refuge in storage facilities.

"Join with us to pray that God Himself should be our defender and sustain us and keep us."

Pastor Barnabas, Nigerian believer

Shouting "Allahu Akbar" ("God is greater"), militants burned the buildings and attacked people with guns and machetes. Some 200 people were killed and five injured. Earlier that day, six civilians and three soldiers were killed in separate incidents.

"Open Doors condemns in the strongest terms possible the attacks in Benue state," says Jo Newhouse, Open Doors' spokesperson for our work in sub-Saharan Africa. "For this pattern of attack on mostly Christian villages to continue without restraint is totally unacceptable. Christians in the Middle Belt of Nigeria need to know their government is willing to do what is needed to secure their safety of all her citizens, regardless of their ethnicity or religion."

The first of this latest surge in attacks occurred in the village of Udei, when attackers shot and killed two farmers and injured another as the victims worked on their field. On June 11, two women were killed as they worked on their land near the village of Tse Ivokor. The next day, Amos Uorayev, an IDP and Protection Volunteer with Foundation for Justice Development and Peace, set out with four other youths to recover bodies, only to be ambushed and killed.

Last Sunday, thousands gathered on the streets of Makurdi—the capital of Benue State—to protest the killings, with police firing teargas to disperse them. "Listen to us, we are tired, please stop Benue killings!" said a young woman at the protest.

State under siege by 'terrorists'

Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State said the state is under siege by "terrorists." In a recent interview, he explained further: "Of late, what we experience and what we see is more appalling. It is much stronger, way beyond farmer-herder crisis. We're being attacked by bandits and terrorists. The level of what we have experienced in the last two months, it's so alarming."

The State House of Assembly have said that Governor Alia, his deputy and the 32 lawmakers had let the people down. On Wednesday, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu visited Benue State and set up a committee to help restore sustainable peace to the region. "Let's fashion out a framework for lasting peace," he said at a town hall meeting. "I am ready to invest in that peace. I assure you, we will find peace. We will convert this tragedy into prosperity."

Meanwhile, the United Nations have condemned the attacks and called for a comprehensive investigation into the incidents.

"Open Doors joins the UN in calling for immediate action and a comprehensive investigation," Newhouse says. "We also call upon the government of Nigeria to take immediate action to provide protection, by taking robust action to stop violent militant attacks. We call for justice, which includes the fair prosecution of those responsible. And lastly, we call for restoration by providing restitution, rehabilitation and compensation for survivors and communities.

"The international community should do all in its power to encourage urgency and transparency from the Nigerian government in action to ensure they achieve these goals."

What is behind the violence?

The Middle Belt region is part of northern Nigeria, a melting pot of ethno-religious groups that have long co-existed, and it's where Christianity's northern presence is centered.

The Fulani, a nomadic people group, are increasingly migrating southward into Middle Belt states. It's not a new migration route, but due to climate change, resources are becoming scarcer and competition more intense. Not all Fulani are militants, but an Islamist element has emerged, with targeted violence increasingly common—and Christians are among those in the firing line.

God's word I can't live without. "Your word guides my steps and lights the way before me."

Psalm 119:105 states, "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path".

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Hebrews 12:1

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Trey Knowles' "Netanyahu Circumcision" Stand-Up Comedy

Trey Knowles' "Feel My Ruach" is a powerful reflection on both past and present struggles. It’s a cry to feel the spirit—the ruach—of pain, hardship, and perseverance. As we climb Jacob's ladder, striving toward God’s promise, we often face resistance from the enemy who seeks to strike our heel and rob us of our blessings. But Jesus understands our suffering—He too was attacked by the forces of the antichrist, which still work today to torment God’s people.

In his hilarious stand-up set "The Republican Church," Trey Knowles tells Republican Evangelicals not to bother inviting him to their church—because, as he puts it, “Y’all don’t know Jesus.” With bold humor and sharp insight, he calls out the politics-over-faith culture in a performance that’s as thought-provoking as it is funny.

In "Teach Kids Cursive," Trey Knowles argues that learning cursive is essential because it allows individuals to sign their own name and truly own something. He also makes an intriguing point that cursive has historical ties to Arabic and Afro-Asiatic languages, suggesting that its origins go beyond English and play a deeper role in cultural and personal identity.

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             Question? Do They Match The Character of Jesus Christ?

Matthew 7

True and False Prophets

15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

True and False Disciples

21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

The Wise and Foolish Builders

24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, 29 because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.

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