US-Based Group Warns of Planned Christmas Attacks in Nigeria
A United States–based humanitarian organisation, Equipping The Persecuted, has warned of an alleged plan by terrorists to launch coordinated attacks on communities in northern Nigeria on Christmas Day, a claim the Bola Tinubu Presidency has dismissed as doubtful and capable of inciting panic.
The organisation raised the alarm in Washington, D.C., during a roundtable meeting convened by the International Committee on Nigeria and the African Jewish Alliance, amid growing concerns over insecurity and alleged targeted attacks on Christian communities in the Middle Belt.
Founder of Equipping The Persecuted, Judd Saul, told participants at the meeting that armed groups were allegedly regrouping for coordinated assaults across parts of the Middle Belt.
Saul said the groups were gathering fighters around the Plateau–Nasarawa border, the Nasarawa–Benue border and the Nasarawa–Kaduna axis.
He alleged that the planned targets included Riyom, Bokkos, Kafanchan and Agatu, with the attacks expected to be carried out on Christmas Day.
Saul claimed the information available to his organisation indicated preparations for what he described as a possible Christmas Day massacre.
He appealed to the Nigerian government and United States President Donald Trump to act urgently to prevent what he warned could result in mass killings of Christians in Nigeria.
The meeting was chaired by former United States Congressman Frank Wolf and attended by Congressmen Riley Moore and Chris Smith, Senator James Lankford, members of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom and a Nigerian delegation.
Sources familiar with the discussions said the meeting formed part of ongoing deliberations by US lawmakers and advocacy groups on Nigeria’s security challenges.
A source close to the US government disclosed that Saul had formally transmitted the intelligence to American authorities through Congressman Riley Moore.
According to the source, Moore is expected to file a report on the matter to President Trump.
A closed-door session reportedly followed the public meeting, though details of the deliberations were not made public.
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s Department of State Services confirmed awareness of the reported plot and said preventive operations had commenced.
A senior DSS officer in Abuja said the agency had already received intelligence relating to the planned attacks and was acting on it.
Another operative noted that intelligence gathering had been intensified nationwide, adding that attacks often coincide with festive periods in parts of the Middle Belt.
The operative said communities in Plateau State, Southern Kaduna and Benue had previously come under attack during Christmas, describing the alert from the US-based organisation as not entirely implausible.
Riyom and Bokkos local government areas of Plateau State have recorded repeated attacks in 2025.
On October 31, gunmen reportedly killed at least six people in Kwi community in Riyom.
Earlier, no fewer than 32 villagers, including women and infants, were killed in Jebu village in the same local government area.
Reacting to the report, the Presidency dismissed the alert and questioned the motive behind it.
The Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, cautioned Nigerians against uncritically accepting reports from external organisations.
Ajayi said such reports could be aimed at creating internal crisis and unnecessary fear.
He assured Nigerians that security agencies were fully prepared to ensure a peaceful Christmas celebration.
Ajayi added that the police and the military were working to prevent any form of terror attack during the Yuletide.
Titilope Adako is a talented and intrepid journalist, dedicated to shedding light on the untold stories of Osun State and Nigeria. Through incisive reporting, she tackles a broad spectrum of topics, from politics and social justice to culture and entertainment, with a commitment to accuracy, empathy, and inspiring positive change.
