The Genocide of Nigerian Christians by Jihadists, Fulani-Linked Militias and Criminal Bandit Gangs: Religious Persecution in the Modern Age

Over the past decade and a half, Nigeria has witnessed a deeply troubling pattern of violence in which Christian communities have suffered large numbers of fatalities. For example, one comprehensive monitoring report found that between October 2019 and September 2023, out of a total of 55,910 people killed in nearly 10,000 deadly attacks in Nigeria, 16,769 Christians were among the victims, compared with 6,235 Muslims and 154 adherents of traditional African religions. (Observatory for Religious Freedom in Africa (ORFA, 2024)).

The Nigerian‐based International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) estimates that since July 2009 up to April 2023 52,250 Christians have been killed in Nigeria. (Intersociety, 2023). In a single year, 2022, Intersociety reports that 5,068 Christians were killed and that in the first 100 days of 2023 alone 1,041 Christians were killed (Intersociety, 2023).

Additional data indicates that for the period 2015-2020, approximately 11,000-12,000 Christians were killed by terrorist groups (including Boko Haram, jihadist Fulani herdsmen and bandits), and within that period "over 7,400" of those were attributed to jihadist Fulani herdsmen. (Statista, 2025)

These figures are extremely alarming and to understand the situation properly it is vital to ask: who is committing these acts of violence?

The main perpetrator groups
1. Jihadist Insurgent Organisations: Boko Haram and its offshoot Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) are Islamist insurgency groups operating primarily in Nigeria's northeast. These groups have explicitly targeted civilians, places of worship, schools and Christian‐majority communities. Their ideological agenda includes imposing a strict version of Islamic law, and they have often targeted Christians among their victims. (Thurston, 2016)

2. Armed Pastoralist / Fulani-Linked Militias: A major portion of the violence is credited to militias associated with Fulani herding communities (nomadic or semi-nomadic), especially in the Middle Belt (north-central Nigeria) and the northwest. These groups often clash with Christian agrarian communities over land, water, grazing rights, and resources. Increasingly, their attacks take on a sectarian dimension when the farming communities are majority-Christian. For example, ORFA's data suggest that armed Fulani herdsmen (sometimes termed "Fulani bandits" or militia) accounted for many more Christian deaths than Boko Haram/ISWAP in the 2019-23 period. (ORFA, 2024; Morningstar News, 2024)

3. Criminal "Bandit" Gangs / Kidnappers: In north-western Nigeria and some other zones, loosely organised criminal gangs known as bandits carry out mass kidnappings (often of children or clergy), ransom attacks, village raids and murders. Although not always explicitly religious in motive, many of their victims are Christians; the overlap of criminality, insecurity and religious identity complicates attribution but increases vulnerability of Christian communities. (Thurston, 2016).

How the perpetrators operate and why Christians are disproportionately affected

• In the northeast, Boko Haram/ISWAP have launched large‐scale assaults on villages where Christians live, on Christian schools and churches, and on communities perceived as aligned with the secular state or Western education.
•  In the Middle Belt and northwest, herder–farmer conflicts have escalated because of such factors as land scarcity, population pressure, weak state presence and an abundance of firearms. The Christian farmers often bear the brunt, as their lands are targeted, their communities ambushed, and their churches destroyed.
• Killings are often swift and brutal: villages attacked at night, people hacked or shot, homes burnt, survivors displaced. Because many victims are smaller, rural Christian communities with limited protection, the casualty counts accumulate.
• Many reports note that Christians are killed "for being Christian," or at least are part of Christian‐majority communities that face attack. For instance, Intersociety attributes large death-counts to "jihadist Fulani herdsmen … who specifically target and massacre Christians." (Intersociety, 2023)– ORFA found that among the 30,880 civilian deaths in 2019-23 in its dataset, Christians comprised 16,769, meaning in the studied states Christians were killed at a rate approximately 6.5 to 1 compared to their Muslim compatriots. (ORFA, 2024; Morningstar News, 2024)

Why the narrative matters and how we can help

Understanding who is doing the violence (insurgents, herder-militias, bandits) is critical for designing responses: security operations, land policy, community protection, inter‐faith dialogue, rural development. The targeting of Christians. Supporting Christians in Nigeria requires a multi-layered approach that combines advocacy, humanitarian aid, and community empowerment. Raising awareness through verified reporting and encouraging international attention can pressure governments to protect vulnerable communities. Strengthening local peacebuilding and interfaith initiatives helps mediate conflicts, particularly in areas affected by herder-farmer violence. 

Humanitarian aid is critical for displaced families, orphans, and widows, providing shelter, trauma support, education, and livelihoods. Security sector reform and accountability measures are essential to reduce impunity for perpetrators, while addressing root causes such as poverty, inequality, and climate stress can help prevent future violence. Spiritual and moral solidarity through international faith networks also affirms that affected communities are not forgotten, creating a comprehensive framework of practical and ethical support (ORFA, 2024; Intersociety, 2023; Open Doors, 2025).