A Nigerian pastor, highlighted by President Trump on social media, has revealed that nine members of his family have been killed by radicalized Muslim members of the Fulani militia.
Rev. Ezekiel Dachomo, the regional leader of the Church of Christ in Nations in Nigeria's Middle Belt, is an outspoken critic of the killing of Christians by the Fulani militia.
Dachomo says the same militia has issued a death threat against him, and he has posted on X about the threat, stating that he knows what it means to stand before grieving families whose only crime was refusing to deny Jesus Christ.
The pastor's family compound was attacked on July 12 in the Riyom district of Plateau State, and a two-month-old baby was among those killed.
The attackers allegedly asked, "Where is the father of this house?" and "Today, you will learn a hard lesson," before opening fire indiscriminately.
Dachomo has conducted over 70 mass burials of Christians by the end of 2025, and the burials have continued this year, with the pastor presiding over the funeral of some 20 believers.
Islamic Fulani militias are by far the deadliest persecutors of Christians in Nigeria, according to a six-year study conducted by the Observatory for Religious Freedom in Africa (ORFA).
The study found that the network of Fulani militias is responsible for four times more civilian deaths than the two prominent Islamic terror organizations, Boko Haram, and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) combined.
The State Department and a leading U.S. non-profit Christian organization have demanded the Nigerian government take more action to stop the violence against Christians.
The United States offers its sincerest condolences to the family and loved ones of those who lost their lives and urges the Nigerian authorities to hold the perpetrators accountable and take specific steps that will improve security for Christians.
Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Frank Garcia and the accompanying U.S. delegation stressed the United States' grave concern regarding the violence Christians face in Nigeria and the need for concrete action during meetings with Nigerian officials in Abuja.
President Trump has carried out a series of air strikes in Nigeria aimed at stopping the killing of Christians, but these have been in the north of the country, specifically against Boko Haram and ISWAP Islamists.
Equipping the Persecuted's founder, Judd Saul, believes the killing will continue and urges the Trump Administration to put laser focus on the Middle Belt of Nigeria and the Fulani ethnic militia.
Dachomo pleaded to the President of Nigeria, Tinubu, to stop the Islamic agenda and Muslim attacks on Christian communities, adding that the Lord is on his side and he will not fear what man can do unto him.
The Nigerian Ministry of Information and National Orientation has offered condolences to Rev. Dachomo but responded to the pastor's accusations by saying that the Government rejects attempts to portray the nation's security crisis as a conflict between faiths.
