A recently released research from a Nigerian non-governmental group reveals that over 50,000 Christians had died in Nigeria since the start of the Boko Haram insurgency in 2009.
The report is titled "Martyred Christians in Nigeria" and was released by the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety), a research and investigative rights organization with a Nigerian base. Since 2010, Intersociety has been monitoring and looking into religious persecution and other types of religious violence committed by State and non-State actors throughout Nigeria.
Its findings show that over the past 14 years, militants have brutally murdered at least 52,250 Nigerian Christians, more than 30,000 of whom happened during the eight years that former Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari was in office. Buhari was frequently criticized during that time for not doing enough to combat the country's rising insecurity.
In the same time frame, fires broke out in 18,000 Christian churches and 2,200 Christian institutions. Additionally, 34,000 other relegious people perished in attacks by Islamists.
With almost 1,000 Christians slaughtered since the year's beginning, the situation for 2023 does not appear to be getting any better.
At least 707 Christians were kidnapped during that time period, more than 200 of which occurred in the Northern Nigerian Niger State, including the kidnapping of more than 100 Christians in Adunu (Paikoro) on March 14, 2023. In addition to Katsina, Taraba, Edo, Ogun, Nassarawa, Kwara, Kogi, Borno, Yobe, and Adawama Bauchi, Enugu, Imo, Kebbi, Gombe, Bayelsa, and Cross River, Kaduna reported at least 101 anti-Christian kidnappings.
Not alone are Christians at risk from Boko Haram, but also from Fulani herders who have joined terrorist organizations.
The attacks have caused widespread forcible relocating. Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps in Nigeria and refugee camps at regional and international levels are home to almost 5 million Christians who have been forcibly relocated.
The attacks have caused widespread forcible relocating. According to the Intersociety research, almost 5 million Christians have been uprooted and driven into refugee camps along regional and sub-regional borders as well as Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps within Nigeria.
According to the Intersociety research, Nigeria is now among the most dangerous countries in Africa for Christians to live.
This was also noted in the 2023 Watch List, which was published in January by Open Doors, the interdenominational organization that stands in solidarity with the world's persecuted Christians. That study found that 89% of all Christian martyrs globally were from Nigeria.
The thousands of Nigerian Christians who are persecuted for their faith have a voice because to Aid to the Church in Need (ACN). According to the Pontifical Foundation's most recent annual report, more over 7,600 Nigerian Christians were killed between January 2021 and June 2022. The foundation supports Catholics and other Christians who are persecuted in those countries.