A leading civil liberties group has issued a disturbing report alleging a systematic campaign of violence targeting Christians and ethnic minorities across Nigeria, particularly in the South East and Middle Belt regions.
In a statement released on Easter Monday in Owerri, the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Inter-Society) detailed what it described as ongoing ethno-religious cleansing involving armed jihadist groups and alleged complicity from federal security forces.
According to Inter-Society’s Chairman, Emeka Umeagbalasi, and Head of Democracy and Governance, Chinwe Umeche, at least 20,300 unarmed residents of the South East have been killed since mid-2015. The group alleges that most of these killings were carried out by suspected jihadist Fulani herdsmen and federal forces acting with bias.
Across the Middle Belt—particularly in Benue, Plateau, and Southern Kaduna—the devastation has been equally severe. Inter-Society claims that since 2009, over 19,000 churches and 3,000 Christian schools and seminaries have been razed, sacked, or permanently shut down.
Even more alarming is the estimated displacement of 40 million indigenous Northern Christians, a trend the group says accelerated following what it calls the “radical Fulani-Hausa political takeover” in 2015. These displaced persons have reportedly fled to avoid rape, abduction, forced religious conversion, and death.
Between January and April 2025 alone, Inter-Society reports that 1,500 to 2,000 Christians were killed in Benue, Plateau, and Southern Kaduna. Another 800 to 1,000 were allegedly abducted and taken to jihadist camps, while over 1,000 homes were destroyed.
The situation in the South East is equally dire, with more than 20,300 people reportedly killed since 2015—victims of what Inter-Society describes as ethnic and religious targeting.
The organization heavily criticized Nigerian security agencies for what it calls a “gross dereliction of duty”, marked by delayed responses, deceitful public statements, and discriminatory enforcement of laws.
“The failure to act decisively has turned these regions into killing fields,” the group warned.
Inter-Society called on the international community, civil rights bodies, and religious organizations to intervene before the situation escalates further.
