40 million northern Christians displaced since 2009 — Inter-Society

The International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Inter-Society) has raised the alarm over what it described as a systematic and violent campaign against Christians and ethnic communities in Nigeria, particularly in the South East and the Middle Belt regions.

In a statement issued on Easter Monday in Owerri, Imo State capital, the organisation alleged that since mid-2015, no fewer than 20,300 defenceless residents of the South East have been killed by suspected herdsmen and allegedly complicit federal security forces.

The statement, jointly signed by Inter-Society’s chairman Emeka Umeagbalasi and Head of Democracy and Governance, Chinwe Umeche, also claimed that approximately 19,000 churches and over 3,000 Christian schools and sacred learning centres have been destroyed, sacked, or burned across the country—particularly in the Middle Belt states of Benue, Plateau, and Southern Kaduna.

“Shocking statistics on the ground across the country’s six geopolitical regions have clearly shown that an estimated 40 million indigenous Northern Christians have been uprooted since the July 2009 Boko Haram uprising.

This displacement has escalated significantly since mid-2015 with the alleged takeover of state power and resources by radical elements within the Muslim Fulani population and their Hausa allies,” the group said.

Inter-Society alleged that the affected Christian communities have been forced to abandon their ancestral lands in fear of rape, abduction, murder, or forced conversion to radical Islamism.

The group added that many of the displaced areas have been taken over, renamed, and turned into settlements “stocked with arms and cattle.”

Covering the period from January to April 2025, the organisation reported that between 1,500 and 2,000 Christians were killed in Benue, Plateau, and Southern Kaduna.

It also stated that 800 to 1,000 individuals were likely abducted and taken to jihadist camps, while over 1,000 homes were set ablaze or destroyed.

In the South East, the group reiterated its claim that over 20,300 people have been “hacked to death or killed” since 2015 due to their ethnicity and religious beliefs, allegedly by jihadist elements and “federally deployed biased security forces.”

The organisation criticised the response of security agencies, accusing them of negligence and bias.

“We condemn the gross inaction of security agencies.

“Their deceitful post-crisis responses and discriminatory law enforcement have failed to prevent the continuous attacks,” the statement read.

Inter-Society said the situation calls for urgent attention, warning that the targeted violence continues to threaten the fabric of religious and ethnic coexistence in the country.