October 2021 Persecution Magazine

“It’s really strange
that overnight
these same
people that we
had lived quite
peacefully with for
many years would
suddenly take
up arms against
us to kill us and
burn down our
villages, crops
and livestock
without any
provocation or
justifiable reason
whatsoever.”
- Pwaguri Hickson
doctor. He had to wait to save up money in
order to pursue his dream. However, his plans
changed in 2018, when 96 of his community
members were killed and more than 7,000
were displaced in a series of attacks by the
Fulani militia.
“Unfortunately, my dream was shattered at the
advent of this crisis. Our means of livelihood
was taken away from us and whatever assets we
had were destroyed. This made it impossible to
further my studies. Life became really difficult
and unbearable for me and my community. We
were all hurt from the loss of friends and loved
ones. Our means of survival was taken away
from us; we went about hungry, and we could
no longer afford any change of clothes.”
Abel Hananiya, 42, is also from Adamawa,
Nigeria. Hananiya served as the public relations
officer during the 2018 implementation of the
Shafaron farm cluster. He is the breadwinner
for his family of ten.
Like Hickson, Hananiya remembers a time
when his people lived peacefully alongside the
Fulani herdsmen community.
“We have always lived in peace and harmony
with the Fulani… It wasn’t until recently
that the Fulani suddenly turned against us
and began a series of attacks on us, killing,
maiming, and destroying our homes and
farms. It is important to note that this sudden
reign of terror on us was unprovoked.”
Hananiya had big dreams as well and knew
from a young age that he wanted to become a
military officer. “That made me [want] to work
hard on the farm,” he explained. “I was able
to rear livestock and stockpile foodstuff which
I would later sell to finance my dream of
becoming a military officer. Unfortunately, I
lost everything when this whole crisis began.”
In December of 2017, armed Fulani militants
invaded Hananiya’s village, killing and
destroying everything in sight. After trying
to resettle back home, life as he knew it was
forever changed.
“Life has really been tough. I was forced to
cater and be responsible for my aged mother
and younger siblings in addition to providing
for my own wife and children. This was very
difficult for me to handle because there was
virtually nothing left for us to survive on.”
The mass murder of Christians in Adamawa
State is a devastating reality that expands
across much of the Middle Belt in Nigeria.
To combat the effects of such attacks, ICC
coordinates with local community and church
leaders to implement communal farm projects.
For the Adamawa community, practical relief
for the survivors took the form of clusters of
farms throughout the region.
“It was in the midst of all these sorrows that
God Almighty sent ICC to bring the communal
farm intervention,” said Hickson. “That
intervention was God-sent because it brought
about a great deal of success and relief to us.”
To facilitate these farms, ICC provided
the seed, fertilizer, plowing and ridging,
30 PERSECU ION.ORG
OCTOBER 2021
INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN CONCERN