‘1,402 Nigerians killed, abducted by terrorists in 96 days’

By Jeff Agbodo

International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law, Intersociety, has said that terrorists operating in Nigeria have killed and abducted 1,402 Christians in 96 days, spanning from January 1, 2026, New Year’s Day, to Easter Monday, April 6, 2026.

The group, in its recent update on various attacks, said 450 people were killed between January and April 6, 2026, while 600 were abducted within the period under review.

The Chairman of Intersociety, Mr Emeka Umeagbalasi, in a statement, said that the massacre of Christians and persecution of churches (Nigerian Christian Genocide) in Nigeria has continued to widen and escalate, with state actor involvement deepening unchecked. 

He said that despite tens of millions of dollars wasted since the end of October 2025 by the Government of Nigeria in international lobbying to deny and erase traces of “Nigerian Christian Genocide” and additional multimillion dollars wasted in globetrotting seeking to internationally downplay Christian Genocide,the menace has continued.

Umeagbalasi accused the government of attempting to replace attacks and killings with false narratives of “farmers-herders’ clashes brought about climate change, in which Muslims were also killed”.

The Intersociety boss stated that despite the efforts to suppress the narratives,  the massacre of Christians and persecution of churches have continued and become increasingly widespread; to the extent that  such state actor denials have been dwarfed by growing manifestations of gross bias and open protection of the terrorists by Nigeria’s security chiefs and recent open admissions by government-affiliated Islamic groups.

According to Umeagbalasi, “The ‘350 Christian deaths’ included 102 deaths recorded in the Holy Week of March 28 to Saturday, April 4, 2026; 34 deaths recorded on Easter Sunday of April 5, 2026 alone; 20 Christian deaths recorded between March 20 and March 27 and the added ‘dark figures of 16 deaths.

“It is also clarified that 180 of the 35 Christian deaths are those arising from 1,800 (10%) abducted Christians across Nigeria since Jan 2026 and were not included in our updated Report of March 19, 2026. Such jihadist captivity deaths must have arisen from physical torture, starvation, gunshot wounds, machete cuts, untreated injuries and other inhuman or degrading treatments during the affected victims’ captivity in the hands of jihadists. 

“In other words, out of every ten abducted Christians, one is not coming back alive; out of every 100 abducted, ten are not returning alive; and out of every 1000 abducted, 100 will never come back.

“On Easter Sunday of April 5, 2026, alone, no fewer than 34 Christians were hacked to death, particularly in Benue (seventeen deaths) and Kaduna (fifteen deaths). According to key eyewitness accounts obtained by Intersociety, on March 28, no fewer than 13 Christians were killed and 24 injured in a Boko Haram roadside bombing along Pulka-Ngoshe Road in Southern Borno. 

“On March 30, 2026, not less than 21 Christians were killed by Boko Haram Islamic insurgents in the Kautikari Christian community of Chibok County of Southern Borno. On Palm Sunday of March 29, 2026, not less than 40 Christians were slaughtered and several others injured by Fulani and Boko Haram terrorists in Angwa Rubuka, Eto Baba and nearby student residential areas, near Jos in Plateau State. US Congressman Riley Moore puts the number at “53 Christian deaths.

“In solidarity with 4,513 Gwoza and other Christian IDPs in Edo State, Intersociety was deeply excited to have interacted with the Founder of the Home for the Needy Foundation (Pastor Solomon Folorunsho), also Founder of the International Christian Centre (Church) near Benin in Edo State.

“Our excitement specifically bordered on unrivalled success stories recorded by the Centre and its pioneer Church over the years. We also took notice of years of the Nigerian Government’s persecution and harassment of the Centre and its leaders, using the country’s security and intelligence establishments; harassed and attacked for being a Christian Charity restoring hopes to the hopeless, traumatised, abandoned and persecuted Christians of Northern Nigeria extraction.  

“It is great news to find that the Centre’s Home for the Needy Foundation is presently home to 4,513 IDPs, mainly those running away from Islamic Jihadist persecution in places like Southern Borno, Bauchi, Zamfara, Southern Kaduna, Kebbi, Taraba, Adamawa, Niger, Plateau, Benue, etc.

“The Centre, according to its Founder, Pastor Solomon A. Folorunsho, was founded in 1992 as a shelter for orphans, widows and vulnerable children and by late 2012, it began to receive large numbers of victims of genocide against Christians fleeing Boko Haram insurgency and related others from North-East, North-West and North-Central (Old Middle-Belt), with a large intake from Gwoza Christian IDPs of Southern Borno origin” Umeagbalasi stated.