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US-based group warns of coordinated Christmas Day attacks in Plateau, Benue, Kaduna and Nasarawa border communities.
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DSS confirms receipt of intelligence and says preventive security operations are already underway nationwide.
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Presidency dismisses the alert, warns against panic and assures Nigerians of a peaceful Yuletide.
A United States–based humanitarian organisation, Equipping The Persecuted, has raised an alarm over an alleged plan by armed groups to carry out coordinated attacks on several communities in northern Nigeria on Christmas Day.
The warning, however, was swiftly dismissed by the Bola Tinubu Presidency, which questioned the motive behind the alert and cautioned that such reports could heighten public fear and insecurity.
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The group’s founder, Judd Saul, raised the concern during a roundtable meeting organised by the International Committee on Nigeria and the African Jewish Alliance in Washington DC. The meeting was chaired by former US Congressman Frank Wolf and attended by serving lawmakers, members of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, and a Nigerian delegation.
Saul alleged that armed groups were regrouping around key flashpoints in the Middle Belt, including the Plateau–Nasarawa border, the Nasarawa–Benue axis and parts of Southern Kaduna. He claimed the groups were planning coordinated Christmas Day attacks in areas such as Riyom, Bokkos, Kafanchan and Agatu.
According to him, the intelligence suggested preparations for what he described as a potential “Christmas Day massacre,” urging both the Nigerian government and US authorities to act urgently to prevent loss of lives.
Sources familiar with the meeting said the alert formed part of ongoing discussions among US lawmakers and advocacy groups on Nigeria’s worsening security situation and alleged targeted attacks on Christian communities. It was also disclosed that the intelligence had been formally transmitted to US authorities through Congressman Riley Moore.
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Meanwhile, Nigeria’s Department of State Services (DSS) confirmed that it was aware of the reported plot and had already commenced preventive operations. Senior DSS officials said the agency had received intelligence on the alleged plans and intensified nationwide surveillance, noting that festive periods often coincide with attacks in parts of the Middle Belt.
Security sources added that communities in Plateau, Southern Kaduna and Benue have recorded repeated attacks in 2025, heightening concerns ahead of the Christmas season.
Reacting to the report, the Presidency dismissed the alert as doubtful and potentially alarmist. The Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, urged Nigerians to treat reports from external organisations with caution.
Ajayi questioned the agenda behind the warning and assured citizens that security agencies were fully prepared to thwart any planned attacks. He stressed that the police and the military were working round the clock to ensure a peaceful and secure Christmas celebration across the country.
