Rev Dachomo in Israel, seeks audience with Netanyahu over killings

Ezekiel Dachomo, a Reverend and regional leader of the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN) in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State, has travelled to Israel as part of efforts to draw international attention to killings and insecurity in Plateau and other parts of Nigeria.

Mr Dachomo announced his arrival in Israel on Friday, October 2, on his Facebook account, describing the trip as his first international Christian advocacy tour.

Recent reports also show that he has been using the visit to pray for Nigeria, its leaders and communities affected by violence.

The cleric said he intends to use the visit to highlight attacks affecting communities in Plateau and the wider Middle Belt and seek an audience with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

His stated programme also includes engagements with Christian leaders and prayer groups from different countries, whom he said he hopes to mobilise attention and prayers for Nigeria.

Mr Dachomo has repeatedly spoken publicly about attacks on communities in Plateau and described some of the violence as persecution and “genocide” against Christians.

Those descriptions are his characterisation of the violence and are not presented here as an established finding.

In a message announcing his visit, the cleric said he was in Israel to pray for Nigeria, its leaders and its people.

“Today, I am in Israel praying for Nigeria, our leaders, and our people. I believe in miracles, and I believe God can change what looks impossible,” he said.

In a video accompanying his message, Mr Dachomo also said he had prayed for Israel, its people and its leadership, including Mr Netanyahu, his cabinet and the Israel Defence Forces.

He also prayed for President Bola Tinubu, Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang and other African leaders.

The cleric said his advocacy would extend beyond Christian victims of violence, noting that Muslims and other Nigerians affected by insecurity also needed prayers and attention.

“I am coming to stand for Nigeria and to pray for our nation: for Muslims being killed in Zamfara, Kebbi, Sokoto and Katsina; for Christians; for my Biafran brothers,” he said.

Mr Dachomo also referred to attacks in his community and alleged that armed men had invaded his village and killed three people in his jurisdiction.

He said he hoped that, if granted a one-on-one meeting with Mr Netanyahu, he would present what he described as the suffering of Christian communities in Nigeria.

“By God’s grace, if we meet one-on-one in Israel, I will share with him the agony of Christians in Nigeria,” he said.

The Israel trip comes against the backdrop of Mr Dachomo’s sustained advocacy over insecurity in Plateau State.

He has been particularly vocal following attacks on communities in the state, including an attack in July in which he alleged that nine members of his extended family were killed in Riyom Local Government Area.

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PUNCH reported the allegation and Mr Dachomo’s subsequent public advocacy over the killings.

His latest initiative moves that advocacy beyond Nigeria, with the cleric seeking to engage international Christian groups and draw greater attention to the security challenges confronting communities in Plateau and other parts of the country.

Nigeria’s insecurity has affected communities across religious and ethnic lines, with terrorism, banditry, communal violence, farmer-herder conflicts and criminality among the factors cited in different parts of the country.

Claims concerning the identity of perpetrators, motives and the religious character of individual attacks therefore require independent verification.

For Mr Dachomo, the Israel visit represents an attempt to take his campaign for greater international attention to Plateau’s security crisis beyond Nigeria.

The outcome of his proposed engagements with Israeli officials and international Christian groups will determine the advocacy campaign’s international reach.