By Dalena Reporters
Abuja | October 24, 2025
Fresh concerns are growing over renewed attacks on Christian communities across several parts of Nigeria, as rights organisations, church leaders, and civic groups warn that the pattern of killings and kidnappings has reached an alarming scale.
Data from multiple monitoring groups, including the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety), indicate that more than 7,000 Christians have been killed and nearly 8,000 abducted between January and October 2025 alone.
The figures come amid heightened insecurity in the country’s Middle Belt and northern regions, where armed groups continue to target rural settlements, churches, and clergy.
Unending Attacks in the Middle Belt
Benue, Plateau, Kaduna, and Taraba states remain flashpoints. Community sources report that dozens of villages have been raided in recent weeks, forcing thousands of residents to flee their homes.
In some cases, entire farming communities—predominantly Christian—were burnt to the ground by gunmen identified by survivors as herder-militias and bandit groups.
“People are killed almost every week. Churches have been destroyed, farms abandoned, and families scattered,” said Reverend Matthew Audu, a community leader in southern Kaduna.
“We no longer feel protected by the state. The government must act.”
Church Leaders Call It a National Emergency
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria and other denominational leaders have renewed calls for government accountability, describing the crisis as “a national tragedy that demands urgent action.”
They argue that despite repeated assurances, the Nigerian government has failed to protect vulnerable communities or bring perpetrators to justice.
In a statement released this week, Christian leaders urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration to prioritise security in rural areas and to end what they describe as a “culture of impunity” surrounding religiously-linked killings.
Government and Security Response
Authorities, however, insist that the violence is not solely targeted at Christians. Officials say the attacks form part of Nigeria’s wider security crisis involving armed bandits, communal clashes, and extremist insurgents, which also affect Muslims and non-believers.
The Ministry of Information said the government remains committed to restoring peace nationwide, pointing to recent military operations in Benue and Niger states aimed at dismantling armed camps and restoring local governance.
International Outcry
International attention on the crisis has intensified.
Rights groups such as Amnesty International, Christian Solidarity Worldwide, and Open Doors International have all issued recent alerts describing the violence as systematic and escalating.
Lawmakers in the United States and the European Union have urged Nigeria to do more to protect religious minorities, with some calling for stronger international monitoring of human-rights violations.
Humanitarian Impact
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) estimates that millions of Nigerians have been displaced by violence in the Middle Belt and northeast.
Aid agencies report that displacement camps are overcrowded and under-resourced, leaving survivors exposed to hunger, trauma, and disease.
The Road Ahead
Analysts warn that unless the government strengthens intelligence operations, rebuilds trust in security agencies, and addresses land-use and ethnic tensions fueling the conflict, the killings could intensify ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“The protection of all Nigerians, regardless of faith, is a constitutional duty,” said human-rights lawyer Gloria Eze. “But for many Christian communities, that promise still feels very far away.”