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IIntersociety said Fulani jihadist militants, operating under various disguises, were responsible for approximately 80 of the killings and 110 abductions, while Boko Haram insurgents accounted for 20 killings and 10 abductions.
No fewer than 100 Nigerians have been killed and 120 others abducted between August 10 and October 26, 2025, in a renewed wave of religiously motivated attacks across Nigeria.
An investigative report on Sunday noted that the victims were mostly targets of Fulani jihadist militants and Boko Haram insurgents, who jointly carried out multiple deadly assaults, kidnappings, and arson attacks on vulnerable communities.
The report by the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) described the killings as “unchecked, coordinated, and systematic jihadist onslaughts” that had continued to spread across the country’s six geopolitical zones, with the North-Central region emerging as the worst hit.
“In 76 days, at least 100 defenceless Nigerians including Christians were targeted and killed, and 120 others abducted,” the report stated. “Of these, about 12 are likely not coming back alive from the hands of their jihadist captors.”
Intersociety said Fulani jihadist militants, operating under various disguises, were responsible for approximately 80 of the killings and 110 abductions, while Boko Haram insurgents accounted for 20 killings and 10 abductions.
According to the report, one of the deadliest incidents occurred on October 14, 2025, when 13 members of the Berom ethnic group were massacred in Barkin Ladi, Plateau State.
The report identified the victims, who include children and adults, as Solomon Dung Choji (43), Sunday Gyang Chollom (29), Davou Mallam Chollom (24), Kefas Dung Sambo (29), Chollom Danjuma Chollom (37), Christina Davou Chollom (27), Marvelous Chollom (8 ), Japhet Solomon (14), Ntyang Chollom Danjuma (6), Mary Monday (10), Mancha Monday (12), Solomon Chung (40), and Musa Dung Bot (32), among others.
In Southern Kaduna, the report cited multiple attacks in Kachia, Kujama, and Gidan Busa, where scores of Christians were killed or kidnapped.
“Truth-Nigeria and Sahara Reporters documented cases where medical personnel, farmers, and travellers were abducted or killed in September and October.”
In Benue State, Intersociety said jihadist hostage camps had emerged in forests across Oturkpo, Ado, Ogbadibo, and Agatu local government areas, where “travellers and farmers are routinely targeted.” Over 30 others were reportedly abducted in the area between August and October.
“The violence has also spread to the Yoruba-speaking parts of Kwara and Kogi States, where the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) said dozens of churches had been destroyed and worshippers displaced in recent months.”
Intersociety lamented that despite government denials, the scale of the killings shows a pattern of religiously motivated persecution.
The organisation noted that some high-profile Nigerians, including Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, Senator Ali Ndume, and Presidential Adviser Daniel Bwala, were “victims of Christian persecution” who have, however, taken political positions that downplay the crisis.
“It is pitiable that victims of Christian persecution are now the ones defending the system that perpetuates it,” the report noted.
Intersociety further noted that hundreds of churches had been “attacked, burned, or shut down,” especially in the North and parts of the Middle Belt.
“These figures reflect both jihadist killings by non-state actors and armed state-actor atrocities perpetrated on ethnic and religious grounds,” the report said.
The organisation also warned that the Catholic Church’s presence in Northern Nigeria was rapidly shrinking due to “organized and unaddressed persecution.”
The report said at least 15 Catholic priests were abducted between January and October 2025, five of whom have been killed or remain missing.
“Dioceses in Sokoto, Kaduna, Niger, and Taraba are on the brink of collapse due to jihadist attacks, mass displacement, and fear among parishioners,” Intersociety reported.
Citing data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Intersociety recalled that more than 614,000 Nigerians were killed from insecurity between May 2023 and April 2024, further underscoring the worsening state of violence nationwide.
The human rights group urged the international community, the United Nations, and global Christian organisations to intervene, saying Nigeria was “drifting toward full-scale religious genocide.”
“The Nigerian government must wake up to its constitutional duty to protect all citizens irrespective of faith. The bloodshed must stop,” Intersociety said.
