TDThe International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) has released a comprehensive update to its landmark report on the plight of Christians in Africa.
The update unveiled three new graphic tables that illustrate the scale of violence and displacement.
The report, covering July 2009 to March 2026, warns of a looming genocide against Africa’s 750 million Christians.
This includes 113 million Nigerian Christians suffering at the hands of globalized, Africanized, and Nigerianized jihadist movements.
Three Graphic Tables for Clarity
Intersociety’s new visual tools are designed to make the crisis more accessible to policymakers, researchers, and the public:
- Table 1: A projection of the possible obliteration of Africa’s Christian population between 2075 and 2125, driven by jihadist movements targeting Congo DRC (115m Christians), Nigeria (113m), and Ethiopia (77m).
- Table 2: A detailed breakdown of killings, abductions, church destructions, village sackings, and displacement of Christians and moderate Muslims in Nigeria from 2009 to March 2026.
- Table 3: A snapshot of atrocities committed in the first 78 days of 2026, highlighting the intensity of recent attacks.
These tables, according to Intersociety, can be reviewed in under five minutes and provide a stark visualization of the crisis.
Updated Findings
The updated report paints a grim picture:
- Deaths (2009–2026): At least 190,150 Nigerians killed, including 128,750 Christians and 61,400 moderate Muslims.
- Abductions: No fewer than 131,100 people, including 81,100 Christians and 50,000 moderate Muslims.
- Captivity deaths: An estimated 30,000 victims killed in jihadist captivity, including 3,000 Igbo Christians targeted in northern Nigeria.
- 2025 alone: About 7,500 Christians killed and 8,500 abducted.
- 2026 (Jan 1–Mar 19): At least 1,050 Christians and 550 moderate Muslims killed, with 1,690 Christians and 650 Muslims abducted.
The report highlights specific atrocities, including the massacre of 250–300 returning Christian refugees in Gwoza, Borno State, and the abduction of 400 others.
Other attacks in Benue, Adamawa, Plateau, and Southern Kaduna have added to the toll, with clergy also targeted — among them a Catholic priest and Rev. Joshua Aliya of the Evangelical Reformed Church of Christ.
Patterns of Violence
Intersociety’s data shows that jihadist violence has evolved over time:
- 2009–2014: Boko Haram insurgency saw mass abductions and killings, including the targeting of Igbo Christians in northern Nigeria.
- 2015–2025: Continued abductions, with at least 50,000 Christians kidnapped. Of these, 20,000 were ransomed and freed, 2,500 taken to foreign jihadist camps, 6,000 escaped, 3,500 converted to radical Islam, 5,000 killed in captivity, and 10,000 remain missing.
- 2026: Violence has intensified, with Boko Haram attacks in Gwoza and massacres in Kwara State driving up casualty figures.
Global Implications
The report warns that Africa’s Christian population faces existential threats if current trends continue. Intersociety projects that without intervention, jihadist movements could obliterate large Christian populations within the next century.
The organization stresses that the crisis is not limited to Nigeria but affects the continent’s largest Christian nations, making it a global human rights emergency.
Call to Action
Intersociety urges governments, international organizations, and civil society to:
- Recognize the scale of the crisis as a potential genocide.
- Provide humanitarian support to displaced populations.
- Strengthen security measures to protect vulnerable communities.
- Hold perpetrators and enablers accountable through legal and diplomatic channels.
Intersociety’s updated report and graphic tables provide a sobering reminder of the scale of religiously motivated violence in Nigeria and across Africa.
With over 190,000 lives lost and millions displaced or abducted, the organization warns that urgent action is needed to prevent what it describes as a slow-moving genocide.
