According to the report which said the killings took place in Agatu Local Government Area from May to November, the deaths were as a result of attacks on farmers by Fulani herdsmen.
The report also quoted Christian leaders as saying that 10,000 people were displaced in the aftermath of the attacks.
The report also noted that several of the perpetrators appeared to be mercenaries from outside the area rather than herdsmen, and locals questioned how the Fulani became so heavily armed.
Motives for the attacks, in most cases were unknown, according to the report, but a herdsmen spokesman alleged that stolen cattle was usually the reason for the bloodshed.
Christian leaders, however, said they had no doubt the Muslim assailants aimed to demoralise and destroy Christians.
“These attacks on Christian members of our churches have disrupted church activities, as Christians can no longer worship together in their congregations,” Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Otukpo, Reverend David Bello, said.
Speaking in a similar vein, Catholic Bishop of Otukpo Diocese, Rev. Michael Apochi added that attacks by Fulani gunmen had devastated Christian communities.
“Life has become unbearable for our church members who have survived these attacks, and they are making worship services impossible,” Apochi said in a telephone interview.
The clerics therefore called on the federal government to urgently take measures to curb unprovoked attacks on Christians in rural areas of the state.
In the early hours of November 9, Fulani gunmen killed 25 Christians in seven villages, said area Christian leader Sule Audu.
“Seven Christian communities were completely ravaged by the rampaging Muslim Fulani gunmen.
“The previous Thursday, November 8, two Christian communities of Ikpele and Okpopolo were attacked by the Muslim Fulani herdsmen in a raid that resulted in the killing of three persons, injuring many others, and the displacement of about 6,000 Christians,” Audu told Morning Star New
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