ABUJA — Nigeria is confronting renewed security concerns after gunmen attacked a church in Kwara State, killing two worshippers on Tuesday night. The assault comes as the country faces mounting pressure from the Trump administration, which has raised the possibility of US military intervention over alleged persecution of Christians.
Police confirmed the attack took place in Eruku, a town in central Nigeria long affected by communal and criminal violence. Kwara State Police spokesperson Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi said officers responded to gunfire at the scene, discovering one victim inside the church and another outside. No arrests have been announced, and no group has claimed responsibility for the assault.
Authorities said the motive remains unclear, though the central region has been plagued for years by clashes between herders and farmers. These disputes often revolve around limited resources such as land and water but increasingly carry religious undertones in mixed-faith communities.
Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq on Wednesday condemned the violence and praised President Bola Tinubu’s approval of 900 additional troops to reinforce security in the state. The move underscores growing concerns within the Nigerian government about expanding insecurity across both central and northern regions.
The attack has also prompted political repercussions at the national level. President Tinubu postponed his planned trip to South Africa, where he was expected to attend this weekend’s G20 summit, after being briefed on the incident and the separate abduction of 24 schoolgirls in northern Nigeria on Monday. His spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, confirmed the delay, saying the president would remain in the country to oversee the government’s response.
International scrutiny intensified earlier this month when former US President Donald Trump declared that Christians in Nigeria face an “existential threat.” He claimed the Pentagon had been instructed to prepare for potential military action in the country. Though Washington has not confirmed such plans, the remarks have drawn sharp reactions from Abuja.
Tinubu has rejected accusations that Nigeria is a religiously intolerant state, arguing they distort the nation’s complex security landscape. Security analysts say that while Christians have indeed been targeted in some attacks, Muslims—particularly in Nigeria’s predominantly Muslim north—make up the majority of victims of extremist and criminal violence.
The northern region continues to face threats from Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), whose operations have surged in recent months. Armed criminal gangs, often referred to locally as “bandits,” have also intensified kidnappings and village raids, further stretching the capacity of security forces.
In the central region, overlapping tensions between nomadic herders, largely Muslim, and farmers, mostly Christian, have created fertile ground for violence. Analysts warn that these conflicts, driven primarily by environmental pressures and competition over land, are sometimes mischaracterized as purely religious disputes.
The attack in Eruku underscores the fragility of security across wide swaths of Nigeria. Many residents in rural areas say they feel abandoned as armed groups exploit poor law enforcement presence and porous borders.
Local leaders have urged the federal government to increase military patrols, enhance intelligence gathering, and invest in long-term solutions to land-use conflicts. Security experts also argue that addressing economic inequality and weak governance is crucial to reducing violence.
As investigations into the Kwara church attack continue, residents remain on edge, fearing further assaults. With tensions escalating and global attention fixed on Nigeria, the incident has become yet another reminder of the country’s complex, evolving, and deeply rooted security challenges.
