Christians in Plateau Under Siege: YOWICAN Sounds Alarm, Seeks Justice

The Youth Wing of the Christian Association of Nigeria (YOWICAN), Plateau State Chapter, has read with deep concern a publication by Vanguard Newspaper dated November 10, 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 are satisfied that the narrative of the reportage is polished with sublime subtilty which downplays and undermines the seriousness and henioisness of the grand master plan to annihilate Christians from their ancestral homes especially in Plateau State, Benue State and other States in Nigeria.

YOWICAN Plateau State condemns in strong terms the politicization of the gruesome
massacres and murders in cold blood of Christians especially in Plateau State coupled with the massive land-grabbing spree where at 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.

OUR POSITION

YOWICAN Plateau states unequivocally and for the records, 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 – requesting 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.

THE REALITY ON THE PLATEAU

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 on daily basis, our lands are being grabbed continually, our communities are grazed down by fire and our homes taken over by our killers and attackers. The narrative of the “farmer-herder clash” is a lie brewed and baked from hell in order to sidetract the truth from being accepted. From 2001 to 2025, official government records reveal that over 11,749 people have been killed, scores of communities, others taken over and presently being occupied by the killers, and thousands of inhabitants displaced in Plateau State alone.

FACTS AND FIGURES

A Fact-Finding Committee led by Major General Nicholas Rogers (rtd.) confirmed this grim statistic and further exposed the scale of destruction:

• 35% loss of livestock
• 32.5% displacement
• 16.8% destruction of food supply
• 9.9% destruction of houses
• 3.4% illegal land occupation and grabbing

These are not abstract figures—they represent human lives, families, communities erased from the map, destinies, futures and hopes snuffed off.

OUR DEMANDS

YOWICAN Plateau State calls on the Federal and Plateau State Governments to:

1. 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 as by conquest.
2. Investigate, effect arrests and prosecute perpetrators and their financiers with regular updates on ongoing prosecutions and convictions.
3. 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, provide basic necessities for the people, and
4. Strengthen security in all affected communities to forestall possible future relapse or occurrence of these attacks and land grabbing and mockery of faith.

CONCLUSION

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 politicized 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.

YOWICAN once again encourages the Church and all Christian faithfuls to remain prayerful, watchful and ready to secure the preservation of their lives and Communities through their constitutional rights of self defence.

May the Lord keep His Church and protect His Watchmen on the all watch towers. Amen

Signed:

Amb. Hon. Barr. Panmak Mark Lere.
Chairman, YOWICAN Plateau State

Ankuka Dekom Paul
Secretary, YOWICAN Plateau State