More than 7,000 Christians have been killed across Nigeria so far in 2025 amid escalating religious violence, according to a report by the International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law (Intersociety).

The report, cited by Newsweek World, documented 7,087 Christian deaths and 7,800 abductions between 1 January and 10 August 2025, averaging 35 killings per day. Intersociety attributes the violence to ongoing attacks by Boko Haram, Fulani extremists and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), with Christian and liberal Muslim communities in the northern and central regions most affected.

Benue State, located in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, recorded one of the highest fatality figures, with 1,100 deaths including 280 people killed in the Yelewata massacre in June. The report accuses the Nigerian government of tolerating the activities of at least 22 jihadist groups, some of which reportedly have ties to international terrorist organisations such as ISIS and ISIL.

According to Intersociety, the conflict began with Boko Haram’s insurgency in 2009 and has led to the deaths of 189,000 civilians. Among them are an estimated 125,000 Christians and 60,000 liberal Muslims. The violence has also displaced around 12 million Christians.

Although Nigeria’s constitution guarantees freedom of religion, advocacy groups including Open Doors state that Islamist militancy remains the most severe threat to the Christian population. The United States State Department’s 2023 terrorism report similarly noted that Boko Haram and ISIS-WA continue to launch attacks on both civilians and security forces.

The Nigerian government has repeatedly rejected claims concerning foreign-linked extremist activity. In June, a senior defence official denied allegations about the presence of the Turkish FETO group, citing a lack of credible intelligence.