A humanitarian organisation, Equipping The Persecuted, has raised the alarm over what it described as a plot to kill many people in some northern communities on Christmas Day.
But the Presidency, in a swift reaction, questioned the motive of the group, saying the alert was doubtful and could create unnecessary fear among Nigerians.
The founder of the organisation, Judd Saul, spoke during a roundtable meeting convened by the International Committee on Nigeria and the African Jewish Alliance.
The meeting, which was held on Wednesday in Washington DC, United States, was chaired by a former congressman, Frank Wolf.
It was gathered that the meeting was also attended by Congressmen Riley Moore and Chris Smith, Senator James Lankford, and members of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, alongside some Nigerian delegation.
Saul said terrorists had started regrouping for the planned attacks.
He said, “They are gathering forces around the Plateau and Nasarawa border, along the Nasarawa-Benue border and along the Nasarawa-Kaduna border. They are planning to hit on Christmas Day in Riyom, Bokkos, Kafanchan and Agatu.
“We got very reliable information that they are weaponising for a Christmas Day massacre. I am imploring the Nigerian government and President Donald Trump to do something so we don’t have a bunch of dead Christians in Nigeria.”
Our correspondents gathered that the meeting was among a series of deliberations to resolve the insecurity in Nigeria and address concerns of alleged killing of Christians.
A source close to the US government said that Saul had officially communicated the said report his organisation got to the government through Moore.
“All the congressmen at the meeting have been to Nigeria many times. They’ve been involved in this matter since (Bill) Clinton was president. They classified the attackers mostly as terrorists and jihadists. Saul has officially notified the US through Riley, who will be filing a report to President Trump on it,” the source said.
It was also learnt that after the meeting where Saul spoke, a separate closed-door meeting was held where further deliberation took place.
Discussions at this meeting were not disclosed.
A senior officer of the Department of State Services in Abuja confirmed that the agency was aware of the planned attacks on Christmas Day and had commenced preventive measures.
“The service is aware; we have the intelligence report and we are already working on it,” the officer stated in a short conversation on Friday.
Another operative of the secret service said the DSS had intensified its intelligence-gathering efforts nationwide.
“We know the trend of attacks in those areas. I was in Kaduna for over two years, and I can tell you that these people (bandits) have a pattern. We (DSS) have always provided intelligence. The intelligence report by the US NGO may be correct, because communities in the Middle Belt have always come under attack during festive periods.
“But I am sure the service would also have got wind of any planned attack by the bandits, and preventive measures would have been put in place,” he said.
Riyom and Bokkos in Plateau State have come under repeated bandit attacks in 2025.
On October 31, bandits attacked the Kwi community in Riyom, killing at least six people.
There was also a major attack on Jebu village in Tahoss District of the same local government, where at least 32 villagers, including women and infants, were killed.
Between June 19 and 21 this year, gunmen invaded Juwan and Manja communities in Bokkos and neighbouring Mangu local government areas, killing about 13 people.
Saturday PUNCH gathered that many attacks on communities in the two local government areas remain unreported.
Communities in Agatu Local Government Area of Benue State have also witnessed terror attacks this year, with dozens killed.
The heaviest occurred on June 1 at Edikwu Ankpali and Opaha communities, where no fewer than 28 people, suspected to be predominantly Christians, were killed.
Earlier in November, a pastor was killed and three others kidnapped at Anwule village near the Agatu and Ohimini border.
Also, earlier last month, suspected Fulani herdsmen reportedly raided Chawai communities near Kafanchan in Southern Kaduna, killing an undisclosed number of people and displacing many others.
The Force Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, did not take his calls or respond to a text message on the alleged plot.
The Director, Defence Media Operation, Maj. Gen. Michael Onoja, could not be reached for comments as of the time of filing this report.
Also, efforts to get responses from the Kaduna, Plateau and Benue police commands proved abortive.
While the Benue State Police Public Relations Officer, Udeme Edet, promised to get back to our correspondent, but never did as of press time, spokespersons for other states did not take their calls which rang out.
However, a senior official who doesn’t want his name in print because he was not permitted to speak to the press, promised that necessary action would be taken to avert the attacks.
He said, “We will intensify surveillance for early warning and continue to deepen our intelligence penetration. However there is no specific detailed Intel at this end.”
Presidency dismisses alert
Reacting, the Presidency dismissed the alert, saying the group’s claims are capable of creating unnecessary fear.
Responding to an enquiry from Saturday PUNCH, the Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Publicity, Mr Temitope Ajayi, said the public should be cautious about circulating reports from external groups without verifying their intentions.
He said, “We should be very careful how we digest and process some of these doubtful reports by external organisations who are setting a stage for internal crisis in our country. We should not be providing oxygen for reports that heighten a sense of insecurity in our country.”
Questioning the intention behind the alert, Ajayi added, “What is the motive and agenda of this organisation in raising this kind of alarm about a likely terror attack in the three states and on Christmas Day?”
He, however, assured Nigerians that security agencies were fully prepared to prevent any threat.
“Whatever the motive is, our security forces are capable of foiling any terror attack and keeping us safe,” he said.
“Nigerians should not entertain any fear in any part of the country. The police and the military are working to ensure we have a peaceful Christmas and Yuletide season.”
MBF, SOKAPU call for security reinforcement
The Middle Belt Forum said while it had yet to receive such information formally, there were strong indications that the claim was not far from the truth.
Speaking with Saturday PUNCH, the MBF President, Dr Bitrus Pogu, said the forum received a similar intelligence report three weeks before the Yelwata attack and promptly alerted the relevant authorities.
“Before the Fulani militia attacked the Yelwata community, we had already known that the attack would happen three weeks before. So, the Intel may not be far from the truth.
“But we still have a government in place, which hasn’t told us it has failed completely. So, the government will be alerted for them to do the needful and ensure that vulnerable communities in the state, especially those dominated by Christians, are adequately protected for Christmas,” Pogu said.
He added, “Officially, it has to be on record that the government is aware of such a mischievous plan to attack, kill, maim and displace people from their ancestral land, which has been the practice over the years. So, as soon as we get the Intel, we will notify those in government.”
Similarly, spokesperson for the Southern Kaduna Peoples’ Union, Josiah Abraks, said communities in the region often come under bandit attacks during festive periods.
“I am not fully aware of that information. But southern parts of Kaduna have always been attacked during the Yuletide. Bandits attack communities in the area on Christmas Day,” Abraks said.
“We just have to plead with the security agencies to ensure that security operatives are mounted in strategic areas across the state during the festive period.
“Secondly, we will implore our communities to mount surveillance and report any strange movement of unknown persons in their areas to the appropriate authorities,” he added. (PUNCH)
