In the first seven months of 2025, jihadist groups killed 7,087 Christians in different parts of Nigeria, revealed a new report by the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety).
According to the document published on Sunday, August 10, another 7,800 people in this country of Western Africa were “violently kidnapped” for being Christian in the same period.
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According to Intersociety, the number of murders is equivalent to an average of 30 christians dead every day, in a nation that leads the list of countries with greater persecution against the followers of Christ in the world.
“No less than 7,087 Christians were massacred in Nigeria in the first 220 days of 2025, from January 1 to August 10, during which no less than 7,800 more were violently kidnapped for being Christians,” says the report.
The report, sent by the principal investigator of Intersociety, Emeka Umeagbalasi, to Aci Africa – agency in Africa of Ewtn News – on Wednesday, August 13, adds: “The brutal massacre of about 7,087 Christians … also translates into an average of 30 deaths of Christians per day and more than an hour.”
Main spotlights of violence
The organization denounces that the increase in massacres against helpless Christians is due to the increase of Islamic terrorist groups that, since 2017, have entered Nigeria without control.
These groups act under the command of Fulani jihadist shepherds, known for attacking agricultural communities of a Christian majority, as well as the alliance for jihad in Nigeria, created in June 2020 in the state of Niger.
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Benue State: The most affected, with more than 1,100 deaths, including the Massacre of Yelewata (June 13-14), where 280 Christians died, and that of Sankera in April, with more than 72 victims.
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Plateau state: 806 deaths, of which more than 300 occurred in April.
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On De Kaduna: Some 620 deaths, dozens of kidnapped killed in captivity and more than 40 killed in Kauru. In addition, Christian leaders from the area face the government’s censorship since the late 2024, and the region registered about 800 kidnapped people.
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IGBO region (southeast): 615 deaths from jihadist attacks and kidnappings.
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Southwest: 610 deaths, with attacks on roads such as Benin-Ore, Ore-Sagamu, Lagos-Ibadán and Lagos-Buya.
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Niger state: 605 deaths and about 1,000 people kidnapped since January. The report speaks of “abductions, murders, torture, disappearances, forced marriages, sexual harassment, displacements, forced migration and conversions to Islam.” In addition, it houses the headquarters of the Alliance for Jihad in Nigeria.
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Other states: Kogi (550 deaths), Edo (505), Borno (420), Taraba (320), Delta (216), Katsina (200), Cross River (60) and Bauchi (50).
Deaths attributable to the army
The report also holds the Nigerian army of at least 410 deaths of Christians, mostly in the southeast of the country, through indiscriminate kidnappings and murders under false accusations, mass criminalization and ethnic-religious profile.
In total, the report estimates that Nigeria houses at least 22 Islamic terrorist groups that seek to “annihilate Christianity, destroy indigenous cultural heritage and impose a sultanate in Nigeria by 2075”.
Intersociety asks the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom and Canada not only to designate Nigeria and the Fulani jihadist shepherds as “entities of special concern”, but also prohibit entry into their countries to religious and political leaders who support these militias.
Translated and adapted by ACI Press. Originally published in ACO Africa.
Agnes Aineah
Agnes Aineah is a Kenyan journalist with experience in digital reports. He has a master’s degree in digital journalism at the School of Graduates in Media and Communications of the Aga Khan University, in Nairobi, and a degree in Linguistics, Media and Communications from the Moi University of Kenya. He currently serves as a journalist for aci Africa.