30,000 Christians killed in Nigeria over six years, study finds

Map of Nigeria. Photo: Getty/iStock

Nearly 30,000 Christians have been killed in Nigeria over the past six years, according to a new report by the Observatory for Religious Freedom in Africa (ORFA) analyzing killings and kidnappings of civilians between October 2019 and September 2025, reports Christian Today.

The study found that 28,551 Christians and 13,224 Muslims were killed during the reporting period. When adjusted for the size of the religious communities in the affected regions, Christians faced a mortality rate approximately 4.4 times higher than that of Muslims. In total, 79,323 people were killed across Nigeria during the six-year period, including more than 42,000 civilians.

The report attributes much of the violence to armed groups of radicalized Fulani herdsmen, who were responsible for 44% of all civilian killings recorded in the study. Researchers noted that Christian farming communities are particularly vulnerable to attacks involving murder, abduction, sexual violence, and the destruction of homes.

ORFA also documented 34,773 kidnappings. According to the researchers, Christian hostages are often subjected to harsher treatment, face higher ransom demands, and are more likely to become victims of forced religious conversion. Christian women and girls, the report says, are disproportionately affected by sexual violence and forced marriages.

The authors of the study called on the international community to devote greater attention to protecting religious freedom in Nigeria, increase pressure on the country's authorities to curb violence and end impunity for perpetrators, and expand assistance to victims of religiously motivated attacks.

As the UOJ reported, on June 22, Fulani Islamists attacked the village of Kwall in Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State, killing 28 Christians, including Pastor Marcus Nyam.

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