At least 299 Christians were killed and more than 200 abducted in Nigeria during July, according to a new report highlighting the continuing violence affecting communities across the country's Middle Belt and other regions.
The figures come from the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety), which documented killings, kidnappings and displacement during July and August using reports from Nigerian and international media, churches, government agencies, non-governmental organisations and social media.
Intersociety said its assessment for July recorded at least 299 killings and 213 abductions of Christians. It attributed many of the attacks to armed Fulani groups, Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).
Benue recorded the highest number of Christian deaths in the report, with 65 people reportedly killed, while Southern Kaduna had the highest number of abductions, estimated at about 70.
Plateau State was also among the areas repeatedly affected. Attacks were reported in Riyom, Barkin Ladi and other communities, with members of the extended family of Pastor Ezekiel Dachomo among those reportedly killed. Dachomo has previously spoken publicly about violence affecting Christian villages in the state.
The report also referred to an attack in Kawel, Plateau State, on 22 June in which around 30 Christians were reportedly killed. The incident was later mentioned in a European Parliament resolution expressing concern over violence and persecution against Christians in Nigeria.
Intersociety recorded further killings and kidnappings in Benue, Kaduna, Taraba, Adamawa, Niger, Kebbi, Edo, Kogi, Enugu and Imo states.
Church leaders and other Christians were among those affected. The report referred to the abduction of NKST pastor Rev Samuel Gbinde, who later died from injuries reportedly suffered while in captivity. It also documented the kidnapping of a Catholic seminarian and the killing of a Catholic priest in Kogi State.
In Southern Kaduna, Intersociety said 37 worshippers from Ariko had been abducted since Easter, with six reportedly dying while in captivity.
The report said the violence continued into August, including attacks in Jwak Maitumbi in Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State between 16 and 18 August. More than 30 people were reportedly killed during the attacks.
Citing Barnabas Aid, Intersociety said residents also reported extensive destruction of property, including homes, shops, health centres, churches and food storage facilities.
In Benue, more than 20 bodies were reportedly recovered after attacks in Ukum Local Government Area around the same period.
The report also raised concerns about kidnappings on major roads. It claimed that about 92 predominantly Igbo Christian travellers were abducted in separate incidents on highways in Kogi, Ondo and Benue states on 9 and 13 August, with around 62 still missing when the report was published.
A further 15 members of Nigeria's National Youth Service Corps were reportedly abducted in Kogi on 26 August. Intersociety highlighted differing accounts from police, military and state authorities over how many of the young people had subsequently been rescued.
The report also pointed to the wider toll of years of violence. The NKST Church reportedly estimates that almost 6,000 of its members have been killed and 753 churches destroyed amid violence linked to herder-farmer conflicts and disputes over land.
In the Catholic Diocese of Wukari in Taraba State, more than 200 churches have reportedly been destroyed since September 2025, while about 100,000 parishioners have been displaced. The diocese's reported death toll increased from about 80 in April to more than 140 by early September.
Intersociety said repeated attacks had left communities in parts of Plateau and Southern Kaduna abandoned, with some residents unable to return to their homes and farmland.
Land, displacement and competition over resources are recurring issues in the report. The organisation also criticised a proposed federal pilot ranching programme covering Benue, Plateau, Nasarawa, Kaduna, Adamawa and the Federal Capital Territory.
The Middle Belt Forum has opposed the plan, arguing that communities in the region have already suffered extensive loss of land and displacement.
The continuing violence has attracted increasing international attention. In the United States, lawmakers have advanced legislation that would make part of certain US assistance to Nigeria conditional on progress in protecting Christians from violence.
In Europe, members of the European Parliament have also raised concerns about attacks on Christian communities, including through a resolution following the June violence in Plateau State.
The United Nations has separately been urged to investigate allegations that escalating violence against Christians and moderate Muslims amounts to what Genocide Watch and the Alliance Against Genocide have described as “genocide by attrition”.
Nigeria's Middle Belt has experienced several overlapping forms of insecurity, including attacks by armed groups, communal disputes, competition over land and natural resources, criminal kidnapping and religious tensions.
The latest Intersociety figures follow an earlier report from the organisation which claimed that 1,402 Christians were killed and 1,800 abducted across Nigeria between 1 January and 6 April 2026.
Intersociety argues that the incidents recorded during July and August demonstrate that Christian communities in several parts of Nigeria continue to experience a disproportionate share of the country's violence. The figures and attribution in the latest report, however, are claims by the organisation and have not been independently verified in every case.
Originally published on Christian Today UK. Rewritten for this publication.
