Since the beginning of the year, more than 7,000 believers have been killed and over 7,800 kidnapped by members of Islamist groups. Nigeria has become the global epicenter of Christian persecution, but Western media often downplays the Islamist dimension.

According to a recent report, in Nigeria on average one Christian is killed every hour by Islamists. Between January 1 and August 10, 7,087 Christians were murdered and more than 7,800 kidnapped. The main perpetrators are Islamist Fulani herdsmen. Around 87 per cent of the killings were carried out by this group, though terror groups such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State’s West Africa Province are also responsible for attacks.

7,087 Christians killed — 1,000 every month, 30 every day, one every hour.

Christians Burned Alive

The worst situation is in Benue State, where 1,100 people were killed. The massacre in the village of Yelwata was particularly brutal, writes Apollo News: On the night of June 12–13, Fulani herdsmen murdered about 280 Christians, many of whom, according to “Genocide Watch,” were burned alive while the attackers shouted “Allahu Akbar.” In Plateau State, 806 Christians have also been killed since the start of the year.

The Stations of the Cross at Holy Rosary Catholic Church (Mary Home) in Oke-Ira, Ogba community, Ikeja city, Lagos, Nigeria on Good Friday, 18 April 2025. (Photo: AFP)

Local Government Bans Priests from Speaking About Massacres

According to civil organisations, since 2015, 22 Islamist terrorist groups have been operating in Nigeria. A Christian aid organisation reports that 46 per cent of the country’s population is Christian, with Muslims making up roughly the same proportion. Particularly alarming is that back in 2024, in Kaduna State, the government pressured priests not to speak publicly about killings and kidnappings or turn to the media.

Nigeria, the Global Epicenter of Christian Persecution

Nigeria is thus considered the global epicenter of Christian persecution: according to aid organizations, between October 2022 and September 2023, 82 per cent of all Christian killings and 84 per cent of all kidnappings worldwide took place there. Despite this, the issue is rarely discussed in the Western media, and when it is, it is trivialised. In a report on the Yelwata massacre, a German television station also removed the Islamist dimension entirely, blaming climate change instead.