Worthy Christian News > Christian Persecution > Christian Persecution - Africa > Nigeria > Nigeria report: 5,068 Christians murdered by Islamic jihadists last year, 52,250 Christians murdered since 2009

Nigeria report: 5,068 Christians murdered by Islamic jihadists last year, 52,250 Christians murdered since 2009

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – A new report by the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) attests that 5,068 Christians in Nigeria were murdered by Islamic jihadists on account of their faith last year and that 1,041 were murdered in the first 100 days of 2023. Intersociety is “globally known and respected for strongly advocating for the end of religious radicalism through the propagation of radical Islamism and fanatical Christianity in Nigeria.”

While human rights organizations, including Intersociety, Genocide Watch, International Christian Concern, Open Doors, and the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, have long documented sounded the alarm over the rampant bloodshed, the international community has done nothing to hold the Nigerian government to account for allowing the slaughter of Christians. The Intersociety report attests that a total of 52,250 Christians in Nigeria have been murdered by Islamic terrorists since 2009.

Perpetrators of the relentless attacks on Christian communities in Nigeria belong to Islamic terror groups, including Boko Haram, ISWAP (Islamic State West Africa Province), and even members of Nigeria’s security forces. Radicalized Fulani Muslim herdsmen are also prolific murderers and present an enormous danger to Nigerian Christians.

“We have been closely monitoring patterns and trends of anti-Christian persecution since 2010 and killing of minority Muslims and moderate others by non-state actor armed Islamists, and Muslim dominated Nigerian security forces from 2015 to 2023,” Intersociety explained in its report. “The patterns and trends of the state actor religious butcheries under our close watch include introduction of state radical Islamism policy by the outgoing Government of Nigeria in 2016, introduction of Nigerian security forces dimension to anti Christian butcheries across the country such as pro Islamic internal security operations in Eastern Nigeria since 2016 involving ethnic and religious profiling associated with atrocious military operations in the East and the military protected invasion of Eastern Christian forests, bushes and farmlands by Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen since 2016.

“We have monitored and tracked the massacre of Christians and the burning down or destruction of their sacred places of worship, religious symbols, Christian schools and living houses and farmlands across the country,” Intersociety said.