Report: Over 3,000 Christians Killed in Nigeria in First Eight Months of 2026
The International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law, known as Intersociety, released a report on September 8 documenting 3,083 Christians killed and 3,193 abducted in Nigeria between January and August 2026, along with 400 churches attacked and 25 priests or pastors killed or abducted. Violence intensified in the final two months covered, with 437 people killed and 393 abducted in July and August alone. In Taraba State, the Wukari Diocese alone reported 239 church buildings destroyed and nearly 100,000 parishioners displaced between September 2025 and August 2026.
Intersociety says its tracking since 2009 now totals 130,783 Christians killed, 82,603 kidnapped or abducted, and 19,800 churches attacked in Nigeria. "It's a genocide, by any definition," said lead researcher Emeka Umeagbalasi, warning that Christianity could be "wiped out from Nigeria in the next 100 years" if current trends continue. The Nigerian government has said the violence stems from armed groups that target any population resisting their ideology, not Christians specifically.
