More than 7,000 Christians have been killed in Nigeria in the first 220 days of 2025, according to a report by the International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law (Intersociety).
The rights group said this amounts to an average of 35 killings per day. It added that 7,800 Christians were abducted in the same period.
Intersociety identified Benue State in the Middle Belt as one of the hardest hit areas, with at least 1,100 deaths, including the Yelewata massacre in June, when 280 Christians were killed.
“Nigeria is headquartering and providing safe haven for no fewer than 22 embryonic and full grown Islamic terror groups in Africa with links or potential links to ISIS, ISIL and World Jihad Fund,” the report said.
Since the Boko Haram insurgency began in 2009, Intersociety estimates that at least 189,000 civilians have been killed, including 125,000 Christians and 60,000 liberal Muslims. It also says the violence has displaced no fewer than 12 million Christians in the past 16 years.
The report noted that militant groups such as Boko Haram, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and armed Fulani extremists continue to carry out mass killings, kidnappings and church burnings across Nigeria’s Middle Belt and northern states.
Human rights group Open Doors, which tracks global Christian persecution, says more Christians are killed for their faith in Nigeria than in the rest of the world combined.
In a recent statement, Father Dominic Asor, rector of St. James Minor Seminary, said: “We must not flee from our vocation because of trials, insecurity or the lure of worldly comfort. God who called us will sustain us, but we must remain faithful and focused.
“The seminary has not become an endangered species. Apart from the seminaries, where else can you have complete safety? There is no place.”
Jeff King, president of International Christian Concern, told Newsweek that “the persecution of Christians isn’t merely a religious issue, it’s a human rights crisis affecting millions.”
The Intersociety report urged international actors to intervene and consider placing Nigeria on watchlists that could trigger diplomatic or sanctions responses.
The U.S. Department of State, in its 2023 report on terrorism in Nigeria, said that ISIS-West Africa, Boko Haram and Ansaru remain active, carrying out attacks against civilians and security forces in the north and central regions.
