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Routine killings in Plateau unacceptable; Nigerian govt must stop further bloodshed:U.S. Lawmaker
A U.S. lawmaker and Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Africa Subcommittee, Chris Smith, has condemned Palm Sunday attack in Anguwan Rukuba, Plateau State, lamenting continued failure of government to prevent such attacks.
In a statement on Wednesday, Mr Smith condemned what described as “the recent deadly attacks perpetrated against Christian communities in Nigeria’s Plateau State.”
He said, “The Nigerian government has a fundamental responsibility—and constitutional duty—to protect all its citizens, regardless of their faith. The continued failure to prevent and intercept these targeted attacks not only deepens human suffering, but also threatens the fabric of religious coexistence in the region. The need for the government to step up and protect the lives and religious liberty of Nigerians cannot be overstated.
“My wife, Marie, and I were absolutely horrified by the brutal massacres that occurred in the Jos North area of Nigeria on Palm Sunday, which have reportedly left at least 20 innocent people dead. These savage killings, targeting Christians as they gathered during one of the most sacred times of the year, are incredibly heartbreaking and absolutely unacceptable.”
Mr Smith said the recurrence of such attack which occurred same time last year was a call for decisive actions, urging the U.S. to stand in solidarity with the Christian community in Nigeria.
“Tragically, this violence follows a deeply disturbing pattern. On Palm Sunday just last year, similar attacks in Plateau State claimed the lives of at least 54 Christians. The fact that such atrocities are repeated year after year—on the same holy day—underscores the urgent need for decisive action,” Mr Smith said.
He added, “The United States must continue to stand in solidarity with the persecuted Christians and all other victims of religious violence in Nigeria. I call on Nigerian authorities to act swiftly to prevent further bloodshed and ensure that this Holy Week is not marred by more tragedy.”
Mr Smith is the third American lawmaker condemning the Plateau killings after Riley Moore and Ted Cruz.
Frequent attacks and increasing death toll have sparked reactions and public outrage from within and outside the country with many lashing out at President Bola Tinubu’s government for failing to protect lives and property.
Citing Palm Sunday and past attacks recorded in Plateau State in recent times, Amnesty International berated Mr Tinubu for “failing to protect lives.”
“With the death toll from the Palm Sunday attack in central Nigeria surpassing 30 people, the Nigerian authorities must investigate the inexcusable security lapses that enabled the horrific attack by gunmen on motorbikes on Anguwan Rukuba community of Jos North LGA of Plateau State.
“The area, nature of the attack and timing show how increasingly vulnerable people are to being killed anywhere and anytime. More dead bodies are still being found and conveyed to the morgue. Plateau State is increasingly becoming unsafe,” Amnesty International said in a statement on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Mr Tinubu, in a statement by presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, decried the attack, assuring citizens that his government was procuring equipment to support security agencies in combating insecurity in the country.
Mr Tinubu announced he would be visiting Plateau State over the incident.
Kabiru Umar, also known as Kabiru Sokoto, who was convicted over the 2011 Christmas Day bombing linked to Boko Haram, has earned a Biology degree while serving his prison sentence, his lawyers said in one of the documents shared with PREMIUM TIMES.
In a press statement announcing Mr Sokoto’s appeal against his 2013 conviction, his legal team said he remained committed to “personal growth and rehabilitation” during incarceration, noting that he successfully obtained a Biology degree from the National Open University of Nigeria.
The statement, dated 14 May and signed by Lagos-based law firm Don Akaegbu & Company, described the achievement as evidence of Mr Sokoto’s “continued effort toward self-improvement despite the circumstances.”
Kabiru Sokoto was convicted by the Federal High Court in Abuja on 20 December 2013.
However, his lawyers argued that the charges against him did not specifically accuse him of carrying out or masterminding the bombing of St. Theresa’s Catholic Church in Madalla, Niger State, which killed about 35 worshippers and injured several others on Christmas Day in 2011.
According to the lawyers, the relevant charge alleged that Mr Sokoto had prior information about the attack and failed to disclose it to security agencies. They said the distinction between direct participation and alleged prior knowledge forms a key issue in the appeal now before the Court of Appeal.
The appeal, filed after what the lawyers described as delays caused by circumstances beyond Mr Sokoto’s control, challenges the admissibility and credibility of the evidence used to secure his conviction. Among these challenges, they said, include deaths of his two previous lawyers, repeated custodial transfers and his family’s severe “financial constraints.”
The legal team also questioned whether the trial court properly evaluated the defence presented during the proceedings.
The lawyers urged the public to allow the judicial process to run its course, insisting that criminal responsibility should be determined strictly on the basis of evidence presented in court rather than public perception.
READ ALSO: Boko Haram convict Kabiru Sokoto appeals 2013 life sentence for Catholic church bombing near Abuja
Kabiru Sokoto was initially arrested on 14 January 2012 at the Borno State Governor’s Lodge in Asokoro, Abuja, alongside a serving military officer. He was then taken to Abaji (also in Abuja) by police officers investigating the case to search a house believed to be owned by him.
He escaped from police custody, leading to the suspension and house arrest of Zakari Biu, then-head of the Zone 7 Police Command in Abuja, overseeing Boko Haram investigations at the Criminal Investigation Department. Before the incident, Mr Biu supervised the team that lost Mr Sokoto and was detained at an undisclosed location, alongside other junior police officers involved in the case.
The escape also prompted then-President Goodluck Jonathan to issue a 24-hour ultimatum to the then-Inspector General of Police (IGP) Hafiz Ringim, to produce the Boko Haram suspect. Mr Ringim failed to do so and was later retired.
The State Security Services (SSS) said Kabiru Sokoto was re-arrested in February 2012, following what it described as a gunfight between its operatives and members of his gang in Taraba Satet.
He was subsequently sentenced by the Federal High Court in Abuja on 20 December 2013. The suspected terror kingpin was sentenced on two terrorism charges, including one punishable with life imprisonment under Section 15(2) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission Act 2004. The second charge attracted 10 years’ imprisonment under Section 7(1) under Terrorism Act, 2011.
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