On Easter weekend, armed Fulani militants stormed a Catholic church in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, opened fire on worshippers during service, and then hunted them down as they fled the village — just 30 minutes from the Benue State capital, Makurdi. At least 17 people were killed between Saturday night and Easter Sunday in Mbalom, with dozens more wounded and effectively abandoned in local hospitals with little to no government support.

Locals report that security forces failed to intervene while the attack was underway — but when young men from neighboring Tiv communities mobilized to defend the village, the military showed up to disperse them and arrest several, echoing a disturbing pattern where the state appears tougher on Christian victims than on the terrorists themselves. Community leaders say the attackers came from the Nasarawa forest area, a known hotspot that human rights advocates had previously flagged to authorities as a terrorist staging ground.

This isn’t an isolated “farmer–herder clash.” It is part of a years‑long, coordinated campaign of church burnings, village raids, and mass killings that some experts now describe as a slow-motion genocide of Nigeria’s Christian population. Nigeria now accounts for the overwhelming majority of murdered Christians worldwide, yet the crisis gets a fraction of the coverage given to other global conflicts.

Guests available for Fox News (live, satellite or Zoom):

• Judd Saul – Founder, Equipping the Persecuted (U.S.-based – just back from Nigeria).
  • An award-winning documentary filmmaker and missionary who has spent over a decade working in Nigeria, responding to attacks within 24 hours with medical aid, food, and security support for displaced Christians.
  • Can provide verified details from his team on the ground in Benue, explain how U.S. policy and aid are enabling or restraining this violence, and outline what an effective response would look like from Washington.
• Franc Utoo, Esq. – (Location: Currently Oklahoma) Nigerian attorney and human-rights advocate from Benue State.
  • A native of one of the hardest-hit communities, former Principal Special Assistant to the Benue State Governor, and current nonprofit leader who has lost dozens of extended family members to these attacks.
  • Recently warned at CPAC 2026 that “seven out of ten persecuted Christians are in Nigeria” and that the world is ignoring a deliberate campaign to wipe them out; he can speak directly to the role of the Nigerian military, foreign fighters coming in through the Sahel, and what local communities need now.

Suggested segment angles:

• “Easter Massacre in Nigeria: Why Are Christian Villages Under Siege?”
• “Churches Under Fire: What the West Is Missing About Nigeria’s Crisis”
• “From the Pews to the Frontlines: How Ordinary Worshippers Became Targets”

Judd and Franc (U.S. time zones) are both available for live hits and taped segments.

Hope to hear from you.