Bike-riding gunmen raid a Nigerian village on Palm Sunday, leaving at least 20 dead

(SeaPRwire) –   At least 20 people have been killed following an overnight attack in Nigeria’s north-central region on Palm Sunday.

Per Joyce Lohya Ramnap, the state’s information commissioner, the attack took place in the Gari Ya Waye community within the Jos North area of Plateau State.

The total number of people wounded or killed, as well as those responsible for the massacre, remains unclear.

Residents told The Associated Press that gunmen on motorcycles fired sporadically into the community, resulting in at least 20 fatalities.

International Christian Concern (ICC), a global humanitarian organization, reported that the gunmen killed at least 30 people.

ICC also noted that at least 10 people were killed earlier on Sunday, with humanitarian worker, Alex Barbir, stating on social media that the victims were Christians.

In the aftermath of the attacks, the Plateau State government imposed a 48-hour curfew.

In 2025, the ICC documented the deaths of at least 54 Christians in Zikke village near Jos following Palm Sunday celebrations.

Over 100 homes were destroyed during the ambush.

According to Open Doors, a global Christian charity, Nigeria ranks as the seventh-worst country in the world for Christian persecution, accounting for 72% of all global Christian killings in 2025.

Open Doors’ records show that just last year, 546 Christians were killed in Plateau State.