More than 3,000 Christians killed in Nigeria in eight months, report says

More than 3,000 Christians have been killed in Nigeria over eight months, according to a report published in early September 2026 by the International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law (Intersociety), a Nigerian human rights group. Between January and August of this year it recorded 3,083 deaths and 3,193 kidnappings, attributing them largely to jihadist groups. The report describes the situation as especially serious in the Middle Belt, the band of states across central Nigeria where attacks and violence have intensified.

The bishop of Makurdi, Wilfred Chikpa Anagbe, has called the situation a "genocide" and said that "the total elimination of the Christian population is underway." He based the claim not only on the number of victims but on a series of systematic attacks that include the killing of civilians, the destruction of churches and the forced displacement of entire communities. In his diocese in Benue state, where most of the population is Christian, Anagbe said he has seen a strategy of "calculated Islamization."

Figures on destruction and displacement

Intersociety reports that 400 churches have been attacked so far this year and that 25 priests or pastors have been killed or kidnapped. July and August were particularly deadly, with 437 Christians killed and 393 kidnapped. The violence has also involved the burning of villages and the destruction of crops, driving large numbers of people from their homes.

The Diocese of Wukari, in Taraba state, is one example. Between September 2025 and August 2026, an estimated 239 religious buildings there were attacked or destroyed and close to 100,000 of the faithful were displaced from their communities. More than 200 Christian communities have been scattered, 16 priests have had to flee and eight rectories have been destroyed.

A wider pattern of violence

Nigerian authorities have rejected the idea that Christians are the only victims of jihadist violence, saying the militants also attack Muslims who oppose their ideology. The Intersociety report says that between 2009 and March 2026, 61,400 moderate Muslims were killed, compared with 128,750 Christians.

International attention

In June of this year, United Nations experts said they were concerned about attacks targeting Christians and other religious minorities in Nigeria, particularly women and young people at risk of kidnapping and sexual violence. Since the Boko Haram insurgency began in 2009, according to Intersociety, an estimated 19,800 churches have been attacked and more than 130,000 Christians have been killed.