The International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law, known as Intersociety, has claimed that 3,083 Christians were killed and another 3,193 abducted in attacks allegedly linked to Islamic extremist groups in Nigeria between January and August 2026.
The organisation also claimed that about 400 churches were attacked during the eight-month period, while 25 priests and pastors were either killed or abducted.
Chairman of Intersociety, Emeka Umeagbalasi, disclosed the figures in a statement detailing the organisation’s assessment of attacks on Christian communities across the country.
According to Umeagbalasi, 437 Christians were killed and 393 abducted in July and August alone.
He said 138 Christians were killed and 180 abducted in August, with several of the reported incidents occurring in Plateau and Benue states.
Umeagbalasi said the organisation’s assessment was based on information gathered from residents, survivors and eyewitnesses in affected communities.
He claimed that armed groups of Fulani origin accounted for a significant proportion of the attacks recorded by the organisation.
However, Intersociety said its assessment focused specifically on incidents it considered religiously motivated and linked to Islamist extremist groups.
The organisation claimed that 299 Christians were killed and 213 abducted in July 2026.
Umeagbalasi also listed several incidents allegedly recorded in August across Plateau, Benue, Kaduna and Adamawa states.
Intersociety Cites Unverified Cases
On the reported abductions, Umeagbalasi claimed that at least 92 Christian travellers were abducted in incidents recorded in Benue, Kogi and Ondo states during August.
He also cited alleged abductions in Imo, Edo, Kaduna, Plateau, Enugu and other states.
According to him, Intersociety’s analysis indicated that approximately 120 of the 180 Christians the organisation recorded as abducted in August were from the South-East.
He said some Eastern travellers were allegedly abducted while travelling to Lagos and Abuja.
Umeagbalasi further cited the reported abduction of passengers travelling in commercial vehicles in the South-West, including an incident in Ondo State.
The organisation said it had included what it described as “dark figures” in its estimates to account for victims whose fate could not be independently established.
However, the casualty and abduction figures contained in Intersociety’s statement have not been independently verified, and the statement did not provide publicly verifiable evidence for each reported incident.
Intersociety called for stronger protection of vulnerable communities and improved security measures to prevent further attacks and abductions across Nigeria.
