Nigerian pastor highlighted by Trump says he’s next after militia kills his relatives
JOHANNESBURG: A Nigerian Pastor highlighted by President Trump on social media, says that nine members of his family have been killed. The minister is an outspoken critic of the killing of Christians by radicalized Muslim members of the Fulani militia.
Rev. Ezekiel Dachomo now says that the same militia has issued a death threat against him. Dachomo, is the regional leader of the Church of Christ in Nations, in Nigeria’s Middle Belt.
The State Department and a leading U.S. non-profit Christian organization have demanded the Nigerian government take more action to stop what the State Department described to Fox News Digital as "a shocking level of violence against Christians."
Multiple sources reported nine of his extended family were killed in an attack on their family compound in the Riyom district of Plateau State on July 12. A two-month-old baby is said to be among those killed. The attackers were allegedly looking for Dachomo, reportedly asking as they arrived "where is the father of this house?" adding, "Today, you will learn a hard lesson," before opening fire indiscriminately.
This past week, he posted on X: "A few days ago, Fulani herdsmen sent a threatening letter to me and to members of my church. It’s message was terrifying. They vowed to attack me and kill me soon, just as they killed nine of my relatives."
The pastor continued, "I know what it means to stand before grieving families whose only crime was refusing to deny Jesus Christ."
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"Now they say I will be next. But I ask the world, what is my crime?" he posted. "Is my crime that I tell the stories of persecuted Christians in Nigeria, so the world will not forget them?"
"The Islamist Fulani ethnic militia hate Pastor Ezekiel and targeted him because he is waking up Christians to the reality of what they are facing," Judd Saul, founder of Equipping the Persecuted, a nonprofit, told Fox News Digital. Saul’s organization works to end religious persecution in Nigeria, specifically aiming to end radical Islamist violence against Christians.
By the end of 2025, Dachomo said he had to conduct over 70 mass burials of Christians. The burials have continued this year, with the post highlighted by President Trump showing the pastor presiding over the funeral of some 20 believers.
Saul believes the killing will continue, saying "Equipping the Persecuted have documented overwhelming evidence that the Islamist Fulani ethnic militia are responsible for the vast majority of killings of Christians in Nigeria. Within the last week alone, over 40 Christians have been killed, and we have been warning that there are major attacks about to occur within the next few days."
Islamic Fulani militias are by far the deadliest persecutors of Christians in Nigeria, according to a six-year study conducted by the Observatory for Religious Freedom in Africa (ORFA) just published. The study found that the network of Fulani militias is responsible for four times more civilian deaths than the two prominent Islamic terror organizations, Boko Haram, and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) combined. Boko Haram was previously allied to Al Qaeda, and ISWAP is currently linked to ISIS.
The ORFA report shows that terror-related violence killed 79,323 people from 2019 to September 2025 in Nigeria. This equates to 36 people a day. Islamic Fulani accounted for 44% of the deaths — far more than the 12% that Boko Haram and ISWAP killed combined.
Referring to the killings of Dachomo’s family, a State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital, "We have seen reports of the killing of nine Christians in Plateau State in Nigeria. There remains a shocking level of violence against Christians in the Middle Belt committed by Fulani Ethnic Militia."
"The United States offers its sincerest condolences to the family and loved ones of those who lost their lives," the spokesperson continued, "We unequivocally condemn this heinous act. We urge the Nigerian authorities to hold the perpetrators accountable and take specific steps that will improve security for Christians."
The spokesperson added, "During meetings with Nigerian officials in Abuja July 13–15, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Frank Garcia, and the accompanying U.S. delegation stressed the United States’ grave concern regarding the violence Christians face in Nigeria and the need for concrete action. As President Trump has made clear, the United States will continue to work with the Government of Nigeria to protect Christians and advance religious freedom in Nigeria."
The Trump administration has carried out a series of air strikes in Nigeria, aimed at stopping the killing of Christians. However, these have all been in the north of the country, and specifically against Boko Haram, and ISWAP Islamists. There has been no reported targeting of Fulani groups operating in the coutry’s Middle Belt.
On this, Equipping the Persecuted’s Saul added, "We want the Trump Administration to put laser focus on the Middle Belt of Nigeria, and the Fulani ethnic militia."
Dachomo told Fox News Digital, "We ask President Trump to stop the Fulani terrorists from killing our people in Nigeria’s Middle Belt and surrounding regions. These attacks against Christian communities have been going on for years and must be stopped. We need the United States to stand with us."
In an X post, the pastor pleaded to the President of Nigeria: "Tinubu, I am begging you in the name of Jesus, stop Islamic agenda. Muslim(s), they want to finish us. Christian(s) wake up, open your eyes."
Quoting from the Bible, Psalm 118:6, he added, "The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do unto me?"
He concluded, "They may threaten my life, but they cannot silence the truth. They may kill the messenger, but they cannot kill the message."
Contacted by Fox News Digital, Rabiu Ibrahim, spokesperson at the Nigerian Ministry of Information and National Orientation, offered condolences to the Rev. Dachomo but responded to the pastor’s accusations by saying, "The Government rejects attempts to portray the nation’s security crisis as a conflict between faiths. Such narratives oversimplify a complicated situation and risk serving the interests of criminal groups who seek to exploit existing fault lines, create fear and undermine national cohesion."
Ibrahim continued, "The unfortunate incident involving Rev. Dachomo’s family is being treated with the seriousness that every loss of Nigerian life deserves. However, allegations regarding the identity, motivation and affiliation of perpetrators must be subjected to proper investigation and established through credible security findings. Nigeria’s security agencies remain committed to thoroughly investigating all attacks and bringing perpetrators to justice, regardless of their identity or background."