US Rep Riley Moore Reacts to The Christian Massacre in Plateau State on Palm Sunday

Gunmen suspected to be radical Islamic terrorists struck Christian communities in Jos, Plateau State, on Palm Sunday, killing at least 10 people.

Eyewitnesses told NaijaChoice News the attackers opened fire on residents before hacking victims with machetes in areas including Angwa Rukuba and nearby student neighbourhoods.

The assault turned a day of worship into a scene of horror, with bodies left in the streets as panic spread through the city.

NaijaChoice News gathered that the killings fit a long-running pattern of targeted violence against Christians in Plateau State during major holy days.

US Congressman Riley M. Moore reacted swiftly to the bloodshed.

In a strongly worded statement, Moore called the attack “sickening and unacceptable” and accused the terrorists of deliberately striking on Christian holy days.

He pointed out that similar massacres have occurred on nearly every major Christian observance in recent memory, except for last Christmas when US action helped deter further strikes.

Moore urged the Nigerian government to “massively ramp up security” for the Easter Triduum and warned that failure to protect Christians would have “significant consequences” for Nigeria’s relationship with the United States.

Plateau State authorities have since imposed a 48-hour curfew in parts of Jos as security forces intensify patrols.

Local residents and church leaders are demanding immediate action from both state and federal governments to stop the cycle of violence that has claimed hundreds of lives in the Middle Belt over the past decade.

Many in Jos say the latest killings have left families shattered and the Christian community living in fear as Easter approaches.