Authorities in Takum district warn of new Fulani herder attacks, deepening fear and displacement across Taraba State, northeastern Nigeria.
Newsroom (27/03/2026 Gaudium Press ) The Diocese of Wakuri in Taraba State has renewed warnings about possible attacks by armed Fulani herders in the Takum District and neighboring local government areas, following growing reports of violence and displacement.
A formal statement dated March 25 and signed by Father Anthony Bature, Administrative Vicar and head of the diocesan peace committee, referenced a video circulating online from the organization Equipping the Persecuted. The group’s executive director, Judd Saul, warned of “an imminent attack beginning from March 23, 2026” by Fulani ethnic militias targeting Takum, Chanchanji, and Tor Damisa ward of Donga Local Government Area.
Local accounts indicate that a planned offensive in Chanchanji was foiled between March 21–22 when Nigerian military forces repelled the attackers. Nonetheless, intelligence suggests the armed groups are regrouping across multiple locations, including New Gboko in Takum and several settlements along the Donga River and Ananum in Donga LGA.
Churches and Communities Under Siege
The Diocese reported that St. James the Great Catholic Church in Adu, Takum District, was attacked on March 23. The assault caused significant damage—church windows were shattered, parish properties ransacked, and the rectory left in ruins. The incident came just days after security forces issued a detailed warning of potential coordinated assaults across Taraba and southern Kaduna.
According to Nigeria’s internal security report dated March 19, armed Fulani herders were sighted crossing the Donga River toward Gbundu, Amadu, and Chenchenji. Drone surveillance later confirmed groups carrying automatic weapons, marking what officials described as a dangerous escalation of violence in the rural northeast.
Security analysts believe the renewed wave of attacks may be retribution for the losses sustained by the militias a week earlier. On March 17, local self-defense groups in Tor-Damisa successfully repelled a herders’ raid, inflicting heavy livestock losses.
Humanitarian Toll Deepens
The Diocese of Wakuri described the pervasive fear among residents as “deepening anxiety leading to a mass exodus to unknown destinations.” In a directive issued to clergy and religious workers, Bishop Most Rev. Mark Maigida Nzukwein urged local leaders to “sensitize their people and take all necessary precautionary measures to stay safe.” He called for immediate coordination with security agencies to avert a looming humanitarian crisis.
Bishop Nzukwein, who addressed reporters in February, said the situation across Takum, Ussa, and Donga LGAs had reached a breaking point. “More than 80 persons have been killed, several others injured, and over 200 communities and churches destroyed,” he stated. At least 90,000 Catholics have been displaced. The bishop noted that the attacks often occur at dawn, catching residents in their sleep before gunmen torch homes, crops, and places of worship.
“The militias have seized farmlands,” he added, “and attack anyone who approaches to gather food. Some women have been raped during these raids.”
A Region Under Strain
Taraba State, lying on the northeastern flank of Nigeria, has long been vulnerable to herder-farmer conflicts exacerbated by land pressure and regional instability. But observers say the current violence is distinctly coordinated, with armed groups using cattle migration routes as cover for infiltration.
While local defense volunteers continue to offer limited resistance, the Diocese warns that without urgent reinforcement and humanitarian aid, entire communities may vanish under the continuing cycle of violence and displacement.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Fides news
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