By: Sunday Ameh
A new report by the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) has revealed that more than 100 Nigerians were killed and at least 120 others abducted between August 10 and October 26, 2025, in a fresh wave of violence across the country, with the North-Central region emerging as the worst affected.
The report described the attacks as “unchecked, coordinated, and systematic jihadist onslaughts” allegedly carried out by Fulani militants and Boko Haram insurgents against defenceless citizens.
According to Intersociety, Fulani jihadist militants, operating under various disguises, were responsible for about 80 of the killings and 110 abductions, while Boko Haram insurgents accounted for 20 killings and 10 abductions.
One of the deadliest attacks reportedly occurred on October 14, when 13 members of the Berom ethnic group were killed in Barkin Ladi, Plateau State. The victims, including children and adults, were identified as Solomon Dung Choji (43), Sunday Gyang Chollom (29), Davou Mallam Chollom (24), and several others.
Similar incidents were also recorded in Southern Kaduna, where multiple communities — including Kachia, Kujama, and Gidan Busa — came under violent attacks, leaving several residents killed or kidnapped. In Benue State, the group said armed militants had established jihadist camps in forests across Oturkpo, Ado, Ogbadibo, and Agatu, where travellers and farmers are routinely abducted.
The violence, the report noted, has spread to parts of Kwara and Kogi States, where the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) reported the destruction of dozens of churches and the displacement of worshippers in recent months.
Intersociety lamented what it described as the government’s failure to address the crisis, warning that Nigeria was “drifting toward full-scale religious genocide.”
“It is pitiable that victims of Christian persecution are now the ones defending the system that perpetuates it,” the group said, referring to some political and religious figures it claimed have downplayed the scale of the killings.
The organisation also expressed concern over the shrinking presence of the Catholic Church in Northern Nigeria, disclosing that at least 15 Catholic priests have been abducted since January, five of whom have been killed or remain missing.
Citing data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Intersociety recalled that over 614,000 Nigerians were killed from various insecurity-related incidents between May 2023 and April 2024, underscoring the deepening humanitarian crisis.
The rights group called on the United Nations, the international community, and global Christian organisations to intervene, urging the Nigerian government to fulfil its constitutional duty to protect citizens regardless of religion or ethnicity.
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