have you heard of the Christian genocide currently happening? According to a chilling report from 2023, over 52,250 Nigerian Christians have been brutally murdered by Islamist extremists since the Boko Haram insurgency erupted in 2009.
This staggering figure, documented by the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety), paints a picture of unrelenting terror that has destroyed churches, displaced millions, and destroyed communities. The violence continues in Nigeria, two years after this Vatican News expose. Nigeria remains a global epicenter of Christian persecution, requiring our immediate attention.
According to the Intersociety study, Martyred Christians in Nigeria, the violence began in 2009 and has continued ever since. More than 30,000 Christians were killed during the eight-year tenure of former President Muhammadu Buhari, while 18,000 churches and 2,200 schools were torched by extremists.
Much of this carnage has been perpetrated by Boko Haram, the notorious Islamist organization that means “Western education is forbidden.” However, Fulani Muslim herders, many of whom have become radicalized and aligned with jihadist groups, have intensified it by raiding rural Christian villages incessantly. Attacks on faith are not random; they are deliberate assaults, with victims slaughtered for refusing to convert or just attending church services.
There have been 1,041 deaths, and over 700 more abductions, many of whom were from states such as Niger, Kaduna, and Borno, during the first 100 days of 2023. Over 100 believers were kidnapped in March 2023 in Adunu, a small town in Niger State, and they disappeared into the hands of militants. According to the report, over five million Christians have been displaced, swelling IDP camps and refugee camps.
The same extremists have killed 34,000 moderate Muslims as well, illustrating the indiscriminate brutality of this ideology-driven conflict.
There is a lot of evidence supporting the scale of this crisis. According to Open Doors International’s World Watch List for 2023, Nigeria was responsible for 89% of martyrdoms worldwide that year. Between January 2021 and June 2022 alone, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) reported over 7,600 Christian deaths. These are not abstract numbers; they represent fathers gunned down in fields, mothers burned alive in their homes, and children orphaned by machetes.
According to Lisa Zengarini for Vatican News, Nigeria has become one of the most dangerous places for Christians in Africa.
Until 2025, the nightmare continues. Jihadist violence has increased, with Christians bearing the brunt of targeted attacks by Boko Haram and its offshoots. A wave of attacks in Benue State in June claimed at least 218 lives and forced the displacement of over 6,000 people, leaving behind smoldering ruins and echoes of unanswered cries. September brought fresh tragedy: the kidnapping and murder of a Catholic priest in broad daylight, fueling fears of systematic religious cleansing.
Global Christian Relief says Nigeria is the “world’s center for Christian martyrs,” where extremists kill with impunity and seldom face charges.
The narrative, however, is tempered by the complexity of the issue. Not all violence is the result of religious zeal; longstanding conflicts between herders and farmers, exacerbated by climate change and land scarcity, often cross paths with jihadist agendas. As Al Jazeera suggests, critics are concerned about oversimplification, arguing that it aids propaganda and ignores ethnic dimensions.
Yet, the pattern is undeniable: Christians, who make up about half of Nigeria’s 220 million people, suffer disproportionately in the north and Middle Belt, where Islamists hold sway.
Internationally, calls for action grow louder. In March 2025, U.S. Congressman Chris Smith chaired a House hearing on Nigeria’s religious freedom violations, emphasizing the targeted massacres of believers. In September, Senator Ted Cruz introduced the Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act, which aims to hold Nigerian officials accountable for failing to curb the atrocities. In 2024, the House of Commons Library briefed on these concerns and recommended diplomatic pressure.
The Religious Freedom Institute warns that without U.S. intervention, the slaughter will continue unabated. Organizations like the Knights of Columbus are directly involved in providing aid, such as wheelchairs for the disabled and food for the hungry.
What does this mean for us in 2025? The 2023 report wasn’t a historical footnote; it’s a clarion call echoing in today’s headlines. As Pope Francis has urged, we must pray for our persecuted brothers and sisters while advocating for justice. Support organizations like Open Doors or ACN, donate, raise awareness, and pressure policymakers. In a world distracted by fleeting crises, Nigeria’s faithful remind us: true strength lies in standing with the vulnerable.
Maiduguri crosses aren’t just symbols; they’re beacons. Will we heed their light before darkness consumes more? The choice is ours, silence or solidarity?
(References at bottom)
Thank you for joining me on this dark subject. God bless you all. Until next time: Courage.
References
- Zengarini, L. (2023, April 17). Over 50,000 Christians killed in Nigeria by Islamist extremists. Vatican News. https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2023-04/over-50000-christians-killed-in-nigeria-by-islamist-extremists.html
- Open Doors International. (2023). World Watch List 2023 Overview. https://www.opendoors.org.hk/en-US/news/latest/wwl23-overview/
- Aid to the Church in Need. (2023). Christian Persecution Religious Freedom – Download 2023 Report. https://www.churchinneed.org/christian-persecution/
- Open Doors. (2025). Nigeria. https://www.opendoors.org/en-US/persecution/countries/nigeria/
- Open Doors US. (2025, June 22). New attacks in Nigeria leave 200+ dead. https://www.opendoorsus.org/en-US/stories/new-attacks-in-nigeria-leave-200-dead/
- OSV News. (2025, September 22). Nigerian priest killed, prompts fear of religious cleansing. https://www.osvnews.com/nigerian-priest-killed-killings-kidnappings-prompt-fear-of-genocide-of-christians/
- Global Christian Relief. (2025). Christian Persecution in Nigeria. https://globalchristianrelief.org/resources/countries/nigeria/
- IFPRI. (2025, June 3). The gendered response to farmer-herder violent conflict in Nigeria. https://www.ifpri.org/blog/the-gendered-response-to-farmer-herder-violent-conflict-in-nigeria/
- Al Jazeera. (2025, October 2). No, Bill Maher, there is no ‘Christian genocide’ in Nigeria. https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2025/10/2/no-bill-maher-there-is-no-christian-genocide-in-nigeria
- Rep. Chris Smith. (2025, March 12). Chairman Smith’s opening remarks at House hearing on religious persecutions in Nigeria. https://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=413555
- Sen. Ted Cruz. (2025, September 11). Sen. Cruz Introduces Bill Against Persecution of Nigerian Christians. https://www.cruz.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sen-cruz-introduces-bill-against-persecution-of-nigerian-christians
- House of Commons Library. (2024, February 1). Freedom of religion or belief in Nigeria. https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cdp-2024-0024/
- Knights of Columbus. (2025, May 1). Strength in the Face of Persecution. https://www.kofc.org/en/news-room/columbia/2025/may/strength-in-the-face-of-persecution.html
- Religious Freedom Institute. (2025, July 31). U.S. Must Address Nigeria’s Christian Persecution. https://religiousfreedominstitute.org/u-s-must-address-nigerias-christian-persecution/