In a post of the official State Department Facebook page on Thursday July 23, 2026, the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of African Affairs has issued a strongly worded condemnation of the killing of relatives belonging to Rev. Ezekiel Dachomo, a prominent Christian leader in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, describing the attack as horrific and calling for immediate accountability.
In a statement published on the bureau’s official Facebook page, the department said it was deeply troubled by the persistent violence directed at Christian and other vulnerable communities in the Middle Belt region of Nigeria.
The statement offered condolences to the families of those killed and to everyone affected by the tragedy.
Officials noted that the issue had already been raised in discussions with Nigerian government representatives the week prior to the attack, underscoring that greater efforts are required to head off further violence of this nature.
The department called directly for those responsible to face consequences and urged swift measures to reinforce protection for Christians and other threatened groups in the area.
Dachomo, who leads a regional branch of the Church of Christ in Nations and has become a vocal advocate documenting attacks on Christian communities, said nine of his family members were killed on July 12 when armed assailants raided the family compound in Plateau State’s Riyom area.
Among the reported victims was a two-month-old child.
Accounts of the attack say the gunmen asked for the head of the household by name before opening fire on those present.
Since the killings, Dachomo has said he and members of his church received threatening letters warning that he would be attacked next, allegedly sent by the same armed group.
The State Department’s statement went on to reiterate that the United States intends to continue cooperating with Nigerian authorities and international partners on counterterrorism and efforts to curb violent extremism.
It stressed that Nigerians of all faiths — and Christians in particular — should be free to worship without fear of violence, positioning the statement as part of a continuing diplomatic push to address the security crisis in Nigeria’s Middle Belt…See_More
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