Just days before Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari met with President Donald Trump to discuss strategies for combating terrorism, Muslim Fulani militants in northern Nigeria killed 19 Christians at an early morning mass—including two priests leading the service. The attackers also burned 50 homes nearby.  

California-based Open Doors, which advocates for persecuted believers, says over the past year Fulanis have killed more than 500 Christians and razed more than 50 villages in Nigeria. The latest attacks prompted churches across the African nation to participate in protests on the eve of the Apr. 30 White House meeting.

Ironically, the attack occurred the same day Vice President Yemi Osinbajo spoke in Lagos at the inauguration service for Deeper Life Bible Church’s new headquarters auditorium, which seats 30,000.

In his remarks, Osinbajo called seeing the edifice dedicated for the furtherance of the gospel and discipline of the saints one of his “proudest moments” as a Christian.

Ahead of the White House meeting, Open Doors President David Curry urged President Trump to leverage the session to insist on protection for Christians being attacked by Buhari’s own people. The 75-year-old Buhari is the son of a Fulani chief.