The International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Inter-Society) has raised alarm over what it calls a coordinated and violent campaign targeting Christians and ethnic minorities in Nigeria, especially in the South East and Middle Belt regions.
In a statement released on Easter Monday from Owerri, Imo State, the group alleged that since mid-2015, over 20,300 defenceless residents in the South East have been killed by suspected herdsmen and federal security forces accused of complicity.
Signed by Inter-Society’s Chairman, Emeka Umeagbalasi, and Head of Democracy and Governance, Chinwe Umeche, the statement claimed that nearly 19,000 churches and more than 3,000 Christian schools and religious institutions have been destroyed, looted, or set ablaze across Nigeria, with Benue, Plateau, and Southern Kaduna among the worst affected.
According to the organisation, about 40 million indigenous Northern Christians have been displaced since the Boko Haram insurgency began in July 2009. This displacement, it said, worsened from 2015 due to the alleged capture of political power and state resources by radicalised elements within the Fulani Muslim population and their Hausa allies.
Inter-Society alleged that many Christian communities fled their ancestral lands to escape rape, abduction, murder, or forced conversion to radical Islamism. The group further claimed that these abandoned communities have been renamed and converted into settlements filled with arms and cattle.
Between January and April 2025 alone, the group reported that 1,500 to 2,000 Christians were killed in Benue, Plateau, and Southern Kaduna. Additionally, between 800 and 1,000 people were allegedly abducted and taken to jihadist camps, while over 1,000 homes were razed.
In the South East, the group restated its claim that more than 20,300 people have been “hacked to death or killed” since 2015 based on their ethnic and religious identity, blaming jihadist elements and allegedly biased federal forces.
Inter-Society criticised the Nigerian security agencies, accusing them of negligence, deception in post-conflict responses, and discriminatory enforcement of the law.
“We condemn the gross inaction of security agencies. Their deceitful post-crisis responses and biased law enforcement have allowed the attacks to persist,” the statement said.
The organisation called for immediate intervention, warning that ongoing targeted violence threatens the unity and coexistence of Nigeria’s diverse religious and ethnic communities.
