Mainstream Media Failed to Cover Palm Sunday Massacre of Nigerian Christians
A Christian student was stoned nearly to death by Muslim extremists right in front of the university in Jos. Photo courtesy of Joshua Emmanuel. A woman holds a wounded loved one after the attacks. Photo by Paul, a local journalist, via screenshot.
U.S. Representative Chris Smith of New Jersey, who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, released a statement following recent attacks on Christian communities in Nigeria that took place during Palm Sunday and continued through Holy Week.
Smith said that as Christians in Nigeria mark Holy Week and prepare for Easter—a time of deep spiritual meaning—Nigeria’s government must act immediately to protect Christian populations. He called on Nigerian authorities to deploy sufficient security forces to vulnerable areas and to ensure those responsible for the violence are brought to justice.
Several Republican members of Congress have raised concerns about the killings of Christians in Nigeria. At the same time, major U.S. news outlets have given little attention to the Palm Sunday and Holy Week attacks. The New York Times was one of the few outlets to report on the events, though its coverage emphasized retaliation by Christians against Fulani militias and questioned claims that Christians are being targeted in a genocide. The article also criticized American lawmakers who have spoken out in defense of Nigerian Christians.
The violence began on Palm Sunday when Muslim extremist groups attacked multiple Christian communities around the city of Jos in Nigeria’s Plateau State. Unlike earlier incidents, the attacks continued throughout Holy Week. At least 53 people were reported killed. Witnesses and observers in the region say tensions remain high and warn that additional violence could occur. The attacks were part of a broader surge in regional violence that resulted in nearly 100 deaths within a week.
Further violence occurred in Kaduna State, where gunmen assaulted a wedding in the village of Kahir. At least 13 people were killed and several others were kidnapped in the attack, which took place in another largely Christian area.
Earlier in the same week, militants targeted St. James the Great Catholic Church in Taraba State. The attack caused extensive damage and led to a large displacement of civilians. Reports indicate that more than 90,000 Christians fled their homes as militants pushed further into southern Taraba despite earlier warnings of potential attacks.
Violence against Christians in Nigeria has persisted for decades and intensified significantly after the rise of Boko Haram in 2009. Estimates suggest that more than 52,000 Christians were killed between 2009 and 2023.
Despite the scale of the Palm Sunday violence, several major American television networks did not report on it. ABC News previously covered violence in Nigeria earlier in 2026, including the massacre in Kwara State, U.S. airstrikes, and military operations, but its website shows no coverage of the March 29, 2026 Palm Sunday attacks.
CBS News followed a similar pattern. The network reported on Nigeria in December 2025 in connection with U.S. airstrikes carried out on Christmas Day and also covered the abduction of schoolgirls in November 2025. However, there is no reporting on the Palm Sunday 2026 attacks.
NBC News likewise has no coverage of the Palm Sunday violence in Jos. Its most recent reporting on Nigeria includes coverage of a church livestream attack in November 2025 and the Christmas Day 2025 airstrikes.
CNN also has not reported on the Palm Sunday attack in Jos. Its latest coverage touching on Christianity in Nigeria was a December 2025 article that argued President Trump was incorrect in claiming that Christians are facing genocide in the country.
The New York Times did publish an article titled “Palm Sunday Attack in Nigeria Leaves at Least 12 Dead.” In its reporting, the newspaper stated that Republican lawmakers—including Representative Riley Moore of West Virginia—were wrong to say that a genocide against Christians is occurring in Nigeria. The article also focused on incidents in which Muslims reportedly faced retaliation after the attack. It reported that witnesses said local youths blocked major roads and targeted individuals believed to be Fulani, an ethnic group that is largely Muslim.
Critics say the article’s framing shifts attention away from Christian victims and instead places blame on Christian communities. They argue that it overlooks the thousands of Christians who have been killed or kidnapped in Nigeria over the past year.
Hungarian Conservative criticized the New York Times coverage. Representative Riley Moore responded on X by describing the article as an attack on Christians. Bishop Robert Barron, a conservative Catholic bishop, also commented on the issue, saying he agreed with Moore’s concerns.
Barron wrote that both he and Moore have been monitoring the ongoing persecution of Christians in Nigeria for some time. He said the claim that the attacks are not fundamentally driven by hostility toward Christianity is unreasonable. Barron also questioned how an assault that occurred on Palm Sunday could be described as merely tribal or economic in nature. According to him, anyone who examines the decades-long pattern of killings and fails to recognize an anti-Christian motive is ignoring the evidence.
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