Report: Islamist Terrorists Have Killed Almost 80,000 in Nigeria in Last 6 Years, Mostly Christians

In Nigeria, 79,323 people lost their lives in 15,434 attacks. These are the figures resulting from violence in the African nation during the six-year period between October 2019 and September 2025, according to a report by the Observatory for Religious Freedom in Africa (ORFA). This amounts to an average of seven attacks per day within the country.

Amidst this sea of bloodshed, Christian civilians were “disproportionately” affected, according to ORFA. They faced a relative risk of death 4.4 times higher and a relative risk of abduction 3.2 times higher than Muslim civilians.

The report identifies Fulani terrorist groups and unidentified terrorist groups as responsible for the vast majority of civilian deaths and abductions — far surpassing the combined impact of the infamous Boko Haram and its offshoot, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).

In other words, the Fulani terrorism — which the BBC in 2016 attributed not to a campaign against the Christian population but merely to disputes between herders and farmers — is so real that it has surpassed the lethality of the region’s better-known Islamist groups.

The Kaduna area in northwestern Nigeria emerged as a critical hotspot for both killings and abductions, while Benue, in the center of the country, recorded the highest number of Christian civilians killed.

Beyond the statistics, ORFA documents patterns observed during captivity. For instance, religious identity can influence the treatment abductees receive, including conditions of confinement, exposure to physical and sexual violence, and ransom negotiations.

While Muslim civilians are also abducted by these terrorists, the numbers are lower, and being Christian is a mark that makes the time spent in captivity even harsher. ORFA encouraged policymakers, researchers, human rights advocates, and anyone interested in freedom of religion or belief to examine the findings of its latest report.

In November 2025, the Nigerian government challenged President Donald Trump’s assertion that Christians were being “massacred” in the country, emphasizing that the claim “did not reflect reality.”

Mainstream media — more interested in displaying their anti-Trump stance than in investigating the truth — repeated the words of Nigerian leader Bola Ahmed Tinubu without any critical thought. Tinubu is a political leader facing accusations ranging from money laundering and fraud to tax evasion.

The Nigerian government noted that, under the leadership of President Tinubu, the statement continued, Nigeria “remains committed to fighting terrorism, strengthening interfaith harmony, and protecting the lives and rights of all its citizens.”

If that is the case, the truth is that it has not yielded results.

Nigeria is effectively divided in two. The south of the country has a Christian majority, while the north — where most of the violence occurs — is home to a large Muslim population.

In late 2025, Trump posted a harsh message on social media directed at the African nation. “If the Nigerian government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the United States will immediately suspend all aid and assistance to Nigeria,” he posted on , adding that U.S. troops could enter the country “shooting left and right to completely annihilate the Islamic terrorists committing these horrific atrocities.”

In response to that message, a Nigerian presidential spokesperson told the Associated Press that the United States could not unilaterally conduct military operations in Nigeria based on its claims regarding the persecution of Christians in the West African nation. He further stated that Trump’s military threat was based on “misleading” information.

For its part, the influential Spanish leftist newspaper El País rushed to publicize the Nigerian presidency’s statements, downplaying the disproportionate slaughter of Christians as something that “affects all faiths.”

Well, it seems Trump has been vindicated once again, as the ORFA report demonstrates.

Finally, in December 2025, the U.S. military, in conjunction with the Nigerian Armed Forces, launched attacks against Islamic State (ISIS) camps and facilities in the northwestern state of Sokoto.

And in May 2026, both nations confirmed the success of a joint military operation that resulted in the death of Abu Bilal al-Minuki — identified as the Islamic State’s second-in-command — who had been hiding in the region.

Investigations like those conducted by ORFA help expose the abysmal journalism produced by media outlets that cloak themselves in a veneer of objectivity. But hopefully, they can also influence and stir the consciences of Western leaders, prompting them to speak out and take action in support of the African followers of the world’s most persecuted faith.

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