Budapest:

Hungarian president Katalin Novak has called out the "brutal attack on Christians” in Nigeria after media reports surfaced about the killing of at least 140 people in the Christian-dominated areas of Plateau state over the Christmas weekend. The Associated Press reported that Amnesty International's Nigeria office confirmed the death of 140 people based on details collected by its employees on the ground and from local officials. Muslim Fulani herdsmen are suspected to be behind the massacre.

In a post on X, Novak expressed her concern, stating, "According to certain news outlets, more than a hundred people were killed. My thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims. This massacre must end." She emphasized the need for persecuted Christians to receive help.

Nigerian president Bola Ahmed Tinubu “strongly” condemned the attacks. Tinubu said on X that he ordered the “security agencies to immediately move in, scour every part of the zone, and apprehend the culprits responsible for these atrocities.” He assured “all Nigerians that the envoys of death, pain, and sorrow responsible for these acts will not escape justice.”

According to the Human Rights group International Society for Human Rights and Rule of Law, more than 50,000 Christians have been killed in Nigeria since 2009, with 14 million Christians forced to flee their homes.

Nigeria is ranked 6th on the World Watch List, which tracks the intensity of persecution faced by Christians in each country, as composed by Open Doors, an organization that supports persecuted Christians around the world. Boko Haram, ISWAP, Fulani militants, and armed bandits are cited by Open Doors as responsible for the attacks on Christians.

"The government continues to deny this is religious persecution, so violations of Christians' rights have been carried out with impunity," notes the website of the organization.