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A rights group, International Society for Civil Rights and Rule of Law, Intersociety, has alleged that there is endless persecution and killing of Christians in Nigeria.
Intersociety has been at the forefront calling for an end to alleged genocidal killing of Christians in Nigeria.
The Nigerian government had consistently stated that there was no form of targeted killing of Christians in the country.
However, in a statement issued on Monday, the rights group alleged that massacre of Christians and persecution of churches in Nigeria had continued to widen and escalate, with state actor involvement deepening unchecked.
The statement was signed by Emeka Umeagbalasi, Head, Intersociety, Chidinma Evangeline Udegbunam, Head, Dept. of Campaign and Publicity and Obianuju Joy Igboeli, Head, Dept. of Civil Liberties and Rule of Law.
It claimed that despite tens of millions of dollars wasted since the end of October 2025 by the Government of Nigeria in international lobbying to deny and erase traces of “Nigerian Christian Genocide” and additional multimillion dollars wasted in globetrotting seeking to internationally downplay Christian Genocide “the massacre of Christians and persecution of churches have continued and become increasingly widespread.”
Intersociety said it was to the extent that “such state actor denials have been dwarfed by growing manifestations of gross bias and open protection of the jihadists by Nigeria’s security chiefs and recent open admissions by Government-affiliated Islamic groups, including openly vowing to continue their violent Islamism until Nigeria becomes a full Sharia State.”
It said “1,402 Christians were martyred and 1,800 abducted In 96 days (Jan-April 6):
“These figures skyrocketed from then to Easter Monday of April 6, 2026 with addition of 350 Christian deaths and 110 abductions-totalling 1,402 Christian deaths and 1,800 abductions in first 96 days of 2026 or Thursday, Jan 1 to Monday, April 6, 2026”.
“The 350 Christian deaths included 102 deaths recorded in the Holy Week of March 28 to Saturday, April 4, 2026; 34 deaths recorded on Easter Sunday of April 5, 2026 alone; 20 Christian deaths recorded between March 20 and March 27 and the added dark figures of 16 deaths.
“It is also clarified that 180 of the 35 Christian deaths are those arising from 1,800 (10%) abducted Christians across Nigeria since Jan 2026 and were not included in our updated Report of March 19, 2026.
“Such jihadist captivity deaths must have arisen from physical torture, starvation, gunshot wounds, machete cuts, untreated injuries and other inhuman or degrading treatments during the affected victims’ captivity in the hands of jihadists.
“In other words, out of every ten abducted Christians, one is not coming back alive; out of every 100 abducted, ten are not returning alive; and out of every 1000 abducted, 100 will never come back,” it further stated.
The group identified key flashpoint states where the deaths occurred as Benue, Kaduna, Borno, Plateau, Bauchi, Zamfara, Kebbi, Taraba, Adamawa, Niger, among others.
It lamented that thousands of displaced Christians were currently taking refuge at different IDPs centres across the country.
1,402 Christians killed in Nigeria between Jan-April 2026 – Intersociety alleges
