The Rev. Ezekiel Dachomo. (Facebook)

ABUJA, Nigeria (Christian Daily International–Morning Star News) – As Islamic extremist attacks continue in Nigeria, the Rev. Ezekiel Dachomo continues to receive death threats for speaking out against assaults terrorizing Christian communities.

Pastor Dachomo, regional chairman of the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN) in Plateau state’s Barkin Ladi County, said in a press statement on March 5 that he has received offers of assistance to relocate outside of the country due to the threats, but that he cannot seek refuge abroad to live in comfort while Islamist terrorists are killing his church members.

“I’ve been offered asylum in Australia, Austria and other countries, but I said no,” he said. “I’m going nowhere. I stand with them [persecuted Christians].”

The comments came on the same day in which Fulani herdsmen killed at least 22 Christians in Benue state in coordinated attacks on Mbaav village and Mbachom village in Turan District, Kwande County.

In the statement issued from Jos, Pastor Dachomo said the death threats he received last year have continued in 2026, fueled in part by comments he made at a recent funeral service for slain Christians.

“I respect Allah, I respect the people of Allah, but when I see dead bodies killed by the followers of Allah, what do you want me to say?” Pastor Dachomo told mourners. “I challenge Allah because his followers are killing my people. I would be stupid and cowardly to kill someone because he insults Jesus; Jesus is a supernatural being, He can defend himself.”

The comments brought accusations of blaspheming Islam. Markus Malum, an advocate for Christian religious freedom in Plateau state, said in a press statement on Thursday (March 12), that Pastor Dachomo made the comments in the context of the slaughter of Christians.

“We note with dismay the attacks and threats on Rev. Ezekiel Dachomo by Muslim leaders and groups over a statement he made while conducting yet another mass burial for Christians killed in Barkin Ladi recently,” Malum said. “It will be recalled that some Christians were slaughtered by Islamic extremists who reportedly shouted ‘Allahu Akbar,’ meaning Allah is the greatest, while attacking Christians in Barkin Ladi area of Plateau state.”

At an occasion for mourning, Pastor Dachomo made comments that have been misinterpreted as blasphemy against the prophet of Islam, he said.

“It’s on this premise that Rev. Dachomo has been targeted to be killed by terrorists,” Malum said.

A Christian in Jos, Freezy Jasper, said the pastor’s words conveyed a deep sense of pain and frustration.

“He’s struggling to reconcile the violence committed by some who claim to follow Allah with the principles of respect and peace,” Jasper said. “His statement isn’t an attack on Islam or Allah directly, but rather a condemnation of the actions of those who use faith as a justification for violence. He’s emphasizing that retaliating with violence is not the solution, citing Jesus’ ability to defend himself as an example.”

Evangelist Peter Otene said Pastor Dachomo’s voice has drawn global attention to the immense pressure on Christians by Islamic extremist terrorists in Nigeria.

“What if Rev. Ezekiel Dachomo never existed in a time like this, what would have been the fate of many Christians, especially those in northern Nigeria who daily face pressure, intimidation and persecution for their faith?” Otene said. “In moments when many chose silence, his voice chose courage; in seasons when fear tried to dominate, he decided to stand for the faith.”

Christians need people like Pastor Dachomo who refuse to bow, be silenced and abandon the truth, he said.

“Whether people agree with him or not, one thing is clear: when a generation is under pressure, God raises a voice that cannot be ignored,” Otene said. “The real question is not just about Rev. Ezekiel Dachom, it is that if voices like his disappear, who will stand for the faith tomorrow?”

More Christians were killed in Nigeria than in any other country from Oct. 1, 2024 to Sept. 30, 2025, according to Open Doors’ 2026 World Watch List report. Of the 4,849 Christians killed worldwide for their faith during that period, 3,490 – 72 percent – were Nigerians, an increase from 3,100 the prior year. Nigeria ranked No. 7 on the WWL list of the 50 countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian.

Numbering in the millions across Nigeria and the Sahel, predominantly Muslim Fulani comprise hundreds of clans of many different lineages who do not hold extremist views, but some Fulani do adhere to radical Islamist ideology, the United Kingdom’s All-Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom or Belief (APPG) noted in a 2020 report.

“They adopt a comparable strategy to Boko Haram and ISWAP and demonstrate a clear intent to target Christians and potent symbols of Christian identity,” the APPG report states.

Christian leaders in Nigeria have said they believe herdsmen attacks on Christian communities in Nigeria’s Middle Belt are inspired by their desire to forcefully take over Christians’ lands and impose Islam as desertification has made it difficult for them to sustain their herds.

In the country’s North-Central zone, where Christians are more common than they are in the North-East and North-West, Islamic extremist Fulani militia attack farming communities, killing many hundreds, Christians above all, according to the report. Jihadist groups such as Boko Haram and the splinter group Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP), among others, are also active in the country’s northern states, where federal government control is scant and Christians and their communities continue to be the targets of raids, sexual violence, and roadblock killings, according to the report. Abductions for ransom have increased considerably in recent years.

The violence has spread to southern states, and a new jihadist terror group, Lakurawa, has emerged in the northwest, armed with advanced weaponry and a radical Islamist agenda, the WWL noted. Lakurawa is affiliated with the expansionist Al-Qaeda insurgency Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin, or JNIM, originating in Mali. 

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