As the world grapples with the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where traumatic injury deaths exceeded 64,000 between October 2023 and June 2024 according to a Lancet peer-reviewed analysis, violence against Christians in Nigeria has surged to even deadlier levels in 2025.
A report from the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) documents at least 7,087 Christians killed in the first 220 days of the year, averaging 32 deaths daily. This figure surpasses the Gaza toll for the same timeframe and highlights what advocates call a "silent genocide" in Africa's most populous nation.
The killings, concentrated in the Middle Belt and northern states, stem from attacks by Islamist militants including Boko Haram, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), and radicalized Fulani herdsmen. Benue State bore the brunt, with over 1,100 fatalities, including the Yelewata massacre in June that claimed 280 lives and the Sankera attack in April that killed 72.
Open Doors' World Watch List 2025 ranks Nigeria seventh globally for Christian persecution, noting 3,100 faith-related killings in 2024 alone—69% of the worldwide total. Since 2009, violence has displaced 12 million Christians and destroyed hundreds of churches monthly, per Intersociety data.
The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) reports a 21% rise in anti-Christian incidents from 2020 to 2021, with further escalation into 2025 amid broader civilian targeting. Kidnappings compound the horror: 7,800 Christians abducted in early 2025, fueling a ransom economy worth millions, as detailed in SBM Intelligence's 2025 report.
Critics accuse the Nigerian government of downplaying the religious dimension, framing attacks as "farmer-herder clashes." This inaction has allowed extremists to seize land and erode Christian communities, with some analysts projecting Christianity's potential eradication by 2075 if trends persist.
The Catholic Church reports dwindling northern parishes due to fear, while global watchdogs urge international intervention.
In contrast to Gaza's high-profile conflict, Nigeria's crisis receives scant attention, leaving survivors in makeshift IDP camps without aid. As one Intersociety analysis states, these assaults aim to "obliterate indigenous ethnic groups and their identities."