Outspoken Plateau State cleric, Rev. Ezekiel Dachomo, has declared his intention to take the Nigerian government before the International Criminal Court (ICC) over what he described as the targeted killing of Christians in Plateau State and other parts of northern Nigeria.
Rev. Dachomo, who serves as the Regional Chairman of the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN) in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area, made this known through a message posted on his social media page. He revealed that he had compiled a detailed list of Christians killed by Islamic extremists and Fulani bandits, as well as churches destroyed since 2010, which he plans to submit to the ICC and the United States government.
The cleric accused both the Nigerian government and the leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) of maintaining silence on the continuous killings, stressing that their denial and inaction have worsened the situation. He said such silence has emboldened the perpetrators to continue their attacks with impunity.
To achieve his mission of seeking justice at the international level, Rev. Dachomo disclosed that “some concerned Nigerians and international donor agencies have begun donating money to the cause, as well as to help family members of victims of various attacks and to support him in his ongoing humanitarian efforts.”
He expressed dismay over the recent mass burial of 17 victims of an attack in Heipang district of Plateau State, describing it as part of a pattern of what he called “Christian genocide.” He said despite repeated denials by government officials, the evidence on the ground tells a different story.
Rev. Dachomo stated that part of the evidence he plans to present to the ICC will include testimonies from survivors, photos of mass graves, and burial sites across the Middle Belt region. He maintained that the killings in Plateau, Benue, and other northern states are too coordinated to be dismissed as random violence.
“The world needs to know that what we are saying is not false. I will go to any length to prove that this government is lying. We are also planning to take Nigeria before the International Criminal Court and sue the Miyetti Allah association for their role in these atrocities,” the cleric declared.
“Hundreds of lives have been lost in attacks on Plateau villages that were never documented, and many victims remain unaccounted for. On March 7th, 2010, Dogo Nahawa, a Christian-dominated community in Jos South local government area of Plateau State, was attacked by Muslim-Hausa Fulani, where over 500 people were killed in one night. Due to my outcry, my own village has been attacked several times and over 50 people have been slaughtered, including my family members and friends. My best friend’s wife and five children were burned alive.”
“Since the Federal Government claimed there was no genocide, that statement has pushed me to intensify this work. CAN is also denying the genocide, so I’m determined to prove them wrong.”
“Right now, I’m travelling around to document cases of Christian genocide because many of the affected villages were never recorded, even though there are graves. I have been moving from one grave site to another. In Jaruwa, worshippers were burnt alive during a church service. None survived because the terrorists surrounded the building, set it on fire with gas lamps, and trapped everyone inside. I intend to cover all areas where Christians have been attacked… I’ll compile all these incidents into a report and present it to the world to show that genocide is happening in Nigeria,” he said.
