By Jeff Agbodo
The International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) has claimed that 3,083 Christians were killed and 3,193 abducted in attacks allegedly linked to Islamic extremist groups between January and August 2026.
The organisation also claimed that 400 churches were attacked during the period, while 25 priests and pastors were either killed or abducted.
Chairman of Intersociety, Emeka Umeagbalasi, disclosed this in a statement on the group’s assessment of attacks on Christian communities in Nigeria.
According to him, 437 Christians were killed while 393 were abducted in July and August 2026.
Umeagbalasi said 138 Christians were killed and 180 abducted in August alone, with several of the reported incidents occurring in Plateau and Benue states.
He said the organisation’s figures were based on information gathered from residents, survivors and eyewitnesses in affected communities.
Umeagbalasi claimed that attacks attributed by the organisation to armed groups of Fulani origin accounted for a significant proportion of the incidents recorded during the period.
He said Intersociety’s reports focused specifically on attacks it considered religiously motivated and linked to Islamist extremist groups.
The organisation claimed that 299 Christians were killed and 213 abducted in July 2026.
Umeagbalasi also cited several incidents allegedly recorded in August, including the reported killing of Christians in Plateau, Benue, Kaduna and Adamawa states.
He said Intersociety had also included what it described as “dark figures” in its estimates to account for victims whose fate could not be independently established.
On abductions, Umeagbalasi claimed that at least 92 Christian travellers were abducted in incidents recorded in Benue, Kogi and Ondo states in August.
He also cited the reported abduction of Christians in Imo, Edo, Kaduna, Plateau, Enugu and other states.
According to him, Intersociety’s analysis indicated that about 120 of the 180 Christians it recorded as abducted in August were from the South-East.
He said the organisation had identified several Eastern travellers among those reportedly abducted while travelling to Lagos and Abuja.
Umeagbalasi further cited the reported abduction of passengers travelling in commercial vehicles in the South-West, including an incident in Ondo State.
However, the casualty and abduction figures contained in the statement are claims made by Intersociety and were not independently verified in the statement.
The organisation called for greater protection of vulnerable communities and improved security measures to prevent further attacks and abductions.
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