A new report on terrorist violence across Nigeria between October 2019 and September 2025 lays bare the scale of what church leaders have called a “Christian genocide.”
Christian communities in northern and Middle Belt Nigeria have borne the brunt of Islamist violence.
Staggering Death Toll of Christian Persecution in Nigeria
Tens of thousands of Christians in Nigeria are being killed by Islamist terrorists, according to a new report published in June 2026.
Figures from the Observatory for Religious Freedom in Africa (ORFA) indicate that 18,915 Christians were killed by Islamists between October 2019 and September 2025. The worst-affected areas were the Middle Belt states of Benue, Plateau and Kaduna.
The report gives credence to the claim advanced by church and community leaders of a “Christian genocide” in northern and Middle Belt Nigeria.
Who is Killing Christians in Nigeria?
The biggest perpetrators of anti-Christian violence in Nigeria are the Fulani militia.
Members of the Kawel community in Kaduna State prepare graves for the victims of an attack by Fulani extremists. [Image credit: Premium Times]
The report demonstrates that at least 10,965 Christians have died at the hands of Fulani Islamists in the six-year reporting period. This figure is likely to be higher, as ORFA assesses (based on previous research) that attacks carried out by unidentified terrorists are also likely to be the result of Fulani extremism.
Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province are also engaged in violent persecution, claiming the lives of 1,632 Christians in the North-East region alone.
Christians Four Times as Likely to be Killed
The report shows that terrorists have killed more than double the number of Christians as they have Muslims.
Read more: Barnabas Aid Helps Nearly 6,000 Victims of Violent Persecution in Nigeria
Adjusting for religious demography in the individual states affected by this violence, ORFA concludes that Christians are more than four times as likely to be the victims of terrorist violence.
Among ORFA’s figures are 6,111 people killed by Islamists whose religious identity could not be ascertained. Based on the proportion for those victims whose religious identity is known, the number of Christians killed by Islamists could be more than 23,000.
Abducted Christians Face Severe Mistreatment
The report records nearly 35,000 abductions that took place in the six-year period.
Six Christians out of the 27 abducted by Fulani militants from a church and village in Kogi State in December 2025 are welcomed home after being released. [Image credit: Ayietoro-Kiri Bunu Development Association / Truth Nigeria]
Christians and Muslims are equally likely to suffer abduction; however, Christian hostages are far more likely to experience “systematic physical and sexual violence, higher ransoms, prolonged captivity, and significantly greater risk of execution.”
On July 1 it was reported that a lay preacher and five others abducted from Kagarko Local Government Area, Kaduna State, were killed by their captives. The preacher had been tortured before his death.
The ORFA report comes just two weeks after a separate report, published by human rights experts, which concludes that Christian women and girls in northern and Middle Belt Nigeria are among those at particular risk of severe abuses, including abduction, sexual violence, forced marriage, and forced conversion to Islam.
How You Can Pray
- Thank the Lord for the light being shone on persecution, terrorism, and human rights abuses in Nigeria.
- Pray for the many thousands of our brothers and sisters bereaved, traumatized, displaced, and injured by this relentless violence.
- Ask for wider recognition of the scale of anti-Christian violence in Nigeria, and that this will lead to a solution that will allow the Christian communities of northern and Middle Belt Nigeria to live and worship in peace.
- Remember too that many Muslims and others are among the victims of violent terrorism, and pray for the nation of Nigeria as a whole.
- Pray that our brothers and sisters will continue to bear witness of the Gospel hope that is found only in Christ.
Editorial Note
In reporting the findings of ORFA, Barnabas Aid has highlighted a death toll of 18,915 Christians killed by Islamists.
This is based on a statistical breakdown on page 59 of the ORFA report and includes all the victims identified as Christians who were killed by Fulani Islamists, Boko Haram, and Islamic State West Africa Province. We have also accepted ORFA’s reasoning that the category “Unidentified Terror Groups” is likely to include Fulani militia and other Islamists, but have done so only for the northern and Middle Belt regions, not those of southern Nigeria. We have also excluded those killed by non-Islamist armed groups such as The Indigenous People of Biafra.
As noted above, taking into account the number of victims of Islamist violence whose religion is not known and extrapolating from the percentage of Christians among the victims whose religion is known, the total number of Christian victims of Islamism in the reporting period could be given as 23,070. While this assumption is justifiable, it remains unproven.