Alleges Nigeria accounts for 4,300 deaths in nine months
By Jeff Agbodo, Abakaliki
The International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) has claimed that about 7,500 Christians were killed in attacks across several African countries between January and October 10, 2026, alleging that Nigeria accounted for approximately 4,300 of the deaths.
The group also claimed that thousands of Christians were abducted and more than 1,000 churches were destroyed or burnt across the affected countries during the period.
In a statement, Intersociety Chairman, Emeka Umeagbalasi, said the figures were based on the organisation’s findings on attacks against Christian communities in Nigeria and other African countries.
The figures and allegations could not be independently verified.
Umeagbalasi claimed that the Democratic Republic of Congo recorded about 2,000 deaths, while Nigeria accounted for between 3,426 and 4,300 Christian deaths in the period under review. He attributed a further 1,100 deaths to Mozambique, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Burkina Faso and other countries.
He also alleged that 3,395 Christians were abducted in Nigeria during the period covered by the group’s report.
According to him, 343 Christian deaths were recorded between September 1 and October 10, 2026, including 130 in Plateau State and 64 in Adamawa State.
He further claimed that 202 people were abducted, 10 churches destroyed, eight pastors abducted and two pastors killed during the period.
The group also raised concerns about the reported captivity of 150 Christian schoolchildren, whom it said had been held by Boko Haram since May 2026, and alleged that Christian communities in Kebbi State had faced threats to convert to Islam or risk being killed.
Nigeria, DRC figures
Umeagbalasi claimed that Nigeria had recorded an estimated 19,810 churches attacked or destroyed since the Boko Haram insurgency began in July 2009.
He also put the cumulative number of Christian deaths at about 130,893 and the number of abducted Christians at 82,805.
The figures were presented as Intersociety’s estimates and were not independently verified.
The group alleged that attacks against Christians, their homes, farmlands, places of worship and livelihoods were being sustained by both state and non-state actors. It also accused successive Nigerian governments since 2015 of complicity in the attacks, an allegation that was not substantiated with independently verified evidence in the statement.
On the Democratic Republic of Congo, Umeagbalasi said the country had recorded an estimated 2,000 Christian deaths between January 1 and October 10, 2026.
He attributed several attacks to the Islamic State-affiliated Allied Democratic Forces and the Islamic State Central Africa Province.
Among the incidents cited were an attack on a gold mine on March 11, which he said killed 17 Christians; a raid in Beni in June, in which he claimed more than 20 Christians were killed; and a reported fire outbreak on September 10 that allegedly killed 27 children associated with Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Parish in the Bukavu region.
These accounts and casualty figures were not independently verified.
Other African countries
The group also alleged that Islamic State-linked militants carried out attacks against Christian communities in Mozambique, particularly in Cabo Delgado Province, forcing residents to flee their homes.
It cited a reported attack on September 6, 2026, in which Christians were allegedly killed or abducted in Cabo Delgado, followed by an attack in neighbouring Niassa Province in which a Catholic church was reportedly burnt.
In discussing Sudan and South Sudan, Umeagbalasi alleged that Christian communities had faced attacks, abductions and restrictions on religious activities. He also cited alleged attacks in Kenya, Ethiopia, Burkina Faso and Uganda, which he attributed to groups including Al-Shabaab, Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin and Islamic State-linked factions.
The group estimated that attacks in countries other than Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo accounted for at least 1,100 Christian deaths during the period.
Allegations in Abia
In Nigeria, Intersociety raised concerns about alleged criminal activity in parts of Umunneochi Local Government Area of Abia State.
Umeagbalasi claimed that 28 human skulls and bones were discovered in the area on September 26, 2026, suggesting they could belong to travellers, farmers and other road users. The identities of the remains and the circumstances surrounding their discovery were not established in the statement.
He also referred to alleged abduction camps and previous security operations in the area, including the reported abduction of Methodist Church Prelate Samuel Kanu-Uche and two other clerics in May 2022.
The group called for further action by relevant authorities to address insecurity and investigate reported attacks and disappearances.
The allegations contained in the report, including claims of official complicity and the attribution of specific attacks to particular groups, were not independently established in the statement. Intersociety’s casualty estimates and other claims require independent verification.
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