Over 8,200 Christians Killed In Nigeria In 13 Months, Rights Group Claims

A Nigerian rights group, the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety), has reported that more than 8,200 Christians were killed in the country between January 2023 and January 2024. The group also claimed that over 8,000 Christians were abducted during the same period, with 10%, or 800 people, unlikely to return to their families alive.

According to Intersociety’s special report released on February 14 2024, Nigeria has recorded over 150,000 religion-related deaths since the July 2009 Boko Haram uprising. These include the killing of at least 100,000 Christians, 46,000 moderate Muslims and 4,000 members of non-Christian and non-Muslim faiths.

The group further alleged that between July 2009 and January 2024, not less than 19,000 churches, over 2,000 sacred temples and over 1,000 traditional religious sanctuaries were destroyed or burnt down. About 2,500 Christian schools and other sacred places of learning were also affected.

Intersociety stated that in the first four months of 2024, the number of Christians killed and abducted has risen to an estimated 800 and 1,000, respectively. The group named Benue Plateau and Southern Kaduna as the worst-hit states since June 2015, losing not less than 24,000 Christians between 2020 and 2023 at a yearly average of 2,000 deaths.