FROM charred worship centres in Plateau to deserted homesteads in Southern Kaduna and silent classrooms in the South East, the ongoing wave of violence against Christian and ethnic minority communities in Nigeria continues to raise urgent concerns over state protection, religious freedom, and the future of national unity.
While reports of such violence are not new, fresh data released by the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Inter-Society) on Easter Monday has brought renewed attention to what the group describes as “systematic cleansing” across the country’s vulnerable regions.
In an extensive report issued in Owerri, Imo State, the organisation detailed alarming figures which it says capture the scale of devastation since mid-2015—a period marked by intensified insecurity under successive federal administrations.
According to Inter-Society, over 20,300 defenceless civilians have been killed in Nigeria’s South East since 2015. The majority of these deaths, the group claims, are attributed to attacks by suspected herdsmen and what it described as “complicit federal security forces.” These killings have reportedly occurred across states like Ebonyi, Enugu, Abia, Imo, and Anambra.
The group further alleges that nearly 19,000 churches and over 3,000 Christian schools and religious institutions have been destroyed, particularly in the Middle Belt regions of Benue, Plateau, and Southern Kaduna—states historically beset by ethno-religious strife and land disputes.
Between January and April 2025 alone, Inter-Society estimated that 1,500 to 2,000 Christians were killed, and 800 to 1,000 abducted in Benue, Plateau, and Southern Kaduna. More than 1,000 homes were reportedly torched, leaving tens of thousands displaced and cut off from basic social infrastructure.
The organisation also highlighted a broader displacement crisis involving an estimated 40 million indigenous Christians from Northern Nigeria, many of whom, it claims, have been uprooted since the Boko Haram insurgency erupted in July 2009, with displacements accelerating after 2015.
Beyond the grim toll of lives lost and buildings razed, Inter-Society’s statement presents a deeper existential dilemma: the erosion of indigenous Christian communities through what it terms “forceful displacement, renaming of lands, and occupation by armed settlers.” The report suggests that some of these communities, particularly in the Middle Belt and North West, have been replaced with settlements allegedly stocked with weapons and livestock—further fuelling tensions between nomadic herders and sedentary farmers.
The group warns that displaced communities have not only lost their homes but are now exposed to forced conversions, sexual violence, and continuous intimidation, creating a climate of fear that deters return or rebuilding.
The issue speaks to wider challenges around freedom of religion, a right guaranteed under Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution. However, recent reports by international observers, including the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) and Amnesty International, have consistently documented religious persecution and impunity in Nigeria—highlighting attacks on Christian communities as well as intra-Muslim tensions.
For example, in its 2024 Annual Report, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) reaffirmed Nigeria’s designation as a “Country of Particular Concern”, citing the government’s tolerance of or failure to prevent severe violations of religious freedom.
The report noted continued attacks by jihadist groups such as Boko Haram and ISWAP, as well as violent non-state actors in the Middle Belt, accusing Nigerian authorities of systemic inaction in prosecuting perpetrators of faith-based violence.
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According to USCIRF, “the Nigerian government continued to tolerate egregious violations of religious freedom, including deadly violence targeting individuals based on religion or belief,” underscoring the persistence of impunity in the country.
The Commission has recommended that the U.S. government re-designate Nigeria as a CPC and impose targeted sanctions on responsible individuals and entities.
One of the most contentious aspects of Inter-Society’s report is its charge of bias and collusion by federal security agencies.
“We condemn the gross inaction of security agencies. Their deceitful post-crisis responses and discriminatory law enforcement have failed to prevent the continuous attacks,” the statement read.
While federal authorities have repeatedly denied accusations of bias, they have faced sustained criticism for reacting too slowly to unfolding violence. Nigeria’s security architecture comprising the army, police, and civil defence corps has remained overstretched amid multiple conflicts, from terrorism in the North East to separatist agitations in the South East.
Recent independent data further underscores the magnitude of insecurity. According to a 2023 analysis by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED), no fewer than 7,046 Nigerians were killed in violent attacks between January and October 2023, with a significant proportion of the fatalities occurring in the Middle Belt region. The International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR), citing the ACLED data, noted that the North-Central zone—home to states like Benue, Plateau, and Southern Kaduna—remained one of the hardest-hit regions in the country.
Similarly, Ripples Nigeria reported that at least 8,734 Nigerians were killed in various insecurity incidents throughout the entire year of 2023. The Sunday Tribune also confirmed over 8,119 deaths in 4,326 violent events recorded nationwide during the same period.
These figures point to a growing crisis of impunity, where perpetrators of mass violence often go unpunished, and communities are left to pick up the pieces.
