The days building up to and including Easter Sunday have been marked by devastation across regions of Nigeria.
On Sunday 05 April 2026, at an Easter service in Ariko village, in Kaduna state, gunmen killed five people. The army reports that the assailants were forced to abandon the planned abduction of 31 hostages after troops responded to a distress call. The identity or affiliation of the gunmen is currently unknown.
At least 17 were reportedly killed in a separate earlier attack on Saturday when armed men attacked the Mbalom community in the Gwer West area of Nigeria’s north-central Benue State. Benue State Gov. Hyacinth Alia confirmed the attacks on Sunday but did not numerate how many people were killed in this specific attack.
Assessing the overall Easter weekend, at least 26 people have been killed in three separate Easter attacks in northern Nigeria. This includes fatalities from early Saturday morning when four police officers were killed after a protracted gunfight with an Islamic State-affiliated group.
These Easter weekend attacks are preceded by another one in Jos, Plateau State on Palm Sunday, 29 March 2026, when unidentified gunmen opened fire on people in the streets of Jos North Local Government Area (LGA).
According to news reports, the attack happened around 20:00 in the Angwan Rukuba community which is a majority Christian community. The gunmen are believed to have shot indiscriminately into a busy but dark street where many locals were gathering.
Initial media reports estimated the deaths between 6 and 10 people. The exact figures remain unverified. However, locals report that 27 bodies were returned to the community. Of these, 14 died on the scene and 13 died in hospital.
