According to a 2021 Report on Nigeria’s Security by the European Asylum Support Office, “Between 2015 and 2018, it has been estimated that at least 3,641 people have been killed and an estimated 300,000 have been displaced as a result of the conflicts.”

On Sunday, May 30th, cries of terror filled the scattered homes that make up the rural community of Nwori Nduobashi, Nigeria. It was around 3 in the morning, and people were still asleep when an armed band broke into their homes, flashing light in their eyes to confuse them while they swung their machetes. In the meantime, some attackers stood by the door and windows, killing those who tried to escape. Some had guns.

If a door was too solid to break down, the attackers set the house on fire. The few people who managed to escape were chased down and killed. Some bodies were found later on in the bushes—or only their clothes.

From Nwori Nduobashi, the attackers moved to nearby Ekpufu, Odoke, and Obakota, burning and sacking homes in their wake. By the time the massacre was over, about 123 houses were burned, and 120 people had perished—men, women, and children. Another 80 were seriously injured, many of whom were brutally dismembered.

Rescue Operations

Far from any major hospital, the survivors rushed their wounded to the closest clinic, about 45 minutes away by motorcycle (the most common means of transportation). They usually had three people on a motorcycle—one driving, and one holding the injured. Those who could not be transported by motorcycle were placed in wheelbarrows and pushed by hand.

The clinic is run by the Nigeria Reformed Church and is located in Onueyim Agbaja, where the mission had a compound. Marieke Ude-De Hollander, counselor at John Calvin Secondary School in Oswanka and wife of the local pastor and school principal, Rev. Nicodemus Ude, gave a report of the critical situation: “The first day almost all the patients were brought to our church clinic. There were so many, and the wounds were multiple and terrible—cut-off hands and feet, pierced eyes… Several babies were born on the road as people were fleeing.”

Medical personnel soon arrived from small nearby clinics, working from 8am until 9pm without a break, while others went to the nearest town (about ninety minutes away) to look for supplies.

“One pastor’s wife cooked for all the workers,” Ude-De Hollander continued. “My husband went to ask the staff of our school to donate blood. The government started sending cars to pick up patients and take them to the federal hospital in tow, and promised to treat them for free.”

In the meantime, the local communities had to deal with feelings of shock, panic, and grief. Many people decided to flee. “There is of course a lot of trauma and fear that can flair up at the slightest rumors,” Ude-De Hollander explained. “However, the Lord has also been so good to us in all this. Many people have prayed for us, and we see God answered prayers in different ways. It is really a miracle the way the patients could be helped with the very limited resources of our clinic. Also, some terrible wounds have healed very neatly.”

“After the first days were over, the church started visiting the affected villages,” she continued. “They formed teams of about seven people, and visited every compound to bring sympathy and comfort. One missionary that leads a program for disabled started conducting workshops on trauma healing too. We hear testimonies on how people are helped “

“Meanwhile, they also kept record of the number of destroyed houses and property, and the number of wounded, dead, and surviving people from each compound. They brought money to those that had lost everything, allowing them to buy necessities.”

The teams also visited the patients who had been moved to the state hospital. The treatment there is free of charge, but not always sufficient. “Sometimes the patients need medicine that is not available in the hospital, and needs to be bought outside,” Ude-De Hollander explained. “Some also need surgery in Enugu. The church helps financially in such cases, with the help of a donor.”

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