There’s Serious War In Nigeria; Forget Iran Or Middle-East; Says US Missionary, Narrates Gruesome Killings In Jos, Other Locations
An American missionary and humanitarian worker, Alex Barbir, has warned that the persistent killings across Nigeria indicate that the country is effectively facing a domestic war, stressing that both Christians and Muslims have been victims of the violence.
Barbir made the remarks during an interview on New Central Television, while reacting to the recent wave of attacks in Plateau State, where more than 26 people were reportedly killed in cold blood in renewed violence that has once again thrown communities into mourning.
According to the missionary, the scale, coordination and persistence of the attacks across different regions of Nigeria show that the country is experiencing something far more serious than isolated criminal incidents.
He said the pattern of killings he has personally witnessed since arriving in Nigeria paints a grim picture of a country grappling with widespread violence.
“When I first arrived in Nigeria, I arrived through ambushes in Miango, people being killed right by military barracks and checkpoints. Ziki was burned and 50 people killed. Since my time in Nigeria, I cannot come here and not experience killing,” Barbir said.
The missionary described how close he was to the scene of the latest killings in Jos, explaining that the violence occurred only a short distance from where he was staying.
“People ask, how was I so quick to go to the scene there in Jos? When people are massacred 10 minutes from the hotel, it doesn’t take long to go. I could walk to the scene. And so we see killing, killing, killing, killing,” he said.
When asked during the interview whether he feared for his life when visiting such volatile locations, Barbir insisted that he was not afraid at the time.
“I drove. But I had no fear because I knew that at that point, Christians were there. The Muslims that came in, they had killed those people there innocently.
“And I knew that the scene was still tense. But it was calm because I knew that if something were to happen, you have 500 Christians sitting there together. We’ll be unified.”
Barbir further argued that the attacks being carried out in several communities across the country show clear signs of coordination and planning, rather than random acts of banditry.
“These attacks are clearly planned. It’s not just simply ambushing and killing one people or two people. But when you look at Barkin Ladi, you look at Bokkos, in the villages when they attacked on Christmas Eve, you have thousands of fighters that attack in unison, countless villages all at the same time,” he said.
Barkin Ladi and Bokkos local government areas of Plateau State have in recent years witnessed repeated attacks on rural communities, with hundreds of residents killed and several villages destroyed in coordinated raids.
Barbir insisted that describing the attacks merely as criminal acts fails to capture the true nature of the violence.
“This is not just some random criminality. If someone decides to take their gun that they have with a shotgun, whatever it is, and go to a village and just kill somebody. This is war being waged on people,” he said.
He also questioned the narrative that Nigeria is not at war, noting the widespread deployment of security forces across the country.
“And I know frank talk about war. If there’s no war in Nigeria, what is happening? In every state, you have security forces deployed everywhere. In every state, you have people that are being killed, both Christian and Muslim.
“And if that’s not war, what is war? War is at home right now in Nigeria. Forget talking about anywhere else in the world or Iran or the Middle East. Right now, people are being massacred across Nigeria.”
The missionary further cited his experience in Kwara State, where he said he recently attempted to rebuild a village that had been destroyed during an attack.
“Even in Kwara, I was in Kwara to go rebuild Woro village three weeks ago. That’s why I came to Nigeria, to rebuild for primarily Muslims. The chairman, the governor and security forces, they said no.
“They said it’s a little bit too risky for you right now to build. I haven’t heard from them. But we went there.”
Barbir added that Muslims were also victims of similar attacks in the area.
“War is at home right now in Nigeria.”@Alex_Barbir says that the scale and coordination of the attacks in Nigeria make it clear that the nation is facing a domestic war.
“Muslims were killed. They came in the night and they destroyed everything. They even just blew up a bomb recently in Niger and Zamfara and Sokoto, all these places.”
The states he referenced — Niger State, Zamfara State, and Sokoto State — have experienced years of banditry, kidnappings, and violent raids by armed groups targeting rural communities.
According to Barbir, the scale of the operations carried out by the attackers demonstrates that the violence is organised and systematic.
“You have hundreds of fighters that are coming and killing people, killing villages, burning and stealing and taking over everything. How is that not coordinated?” he asked.
