No fewer than 3,083 Christians were killed and another 3,193 abducted across Nigeria between January and August 2026, according to a new report by the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (InterSociety).
The organisation also estimated that about 19,800 churches had been attacked or destroyed since July 2009, while at least 25 Catholic priests and Christian pastors had been attacked, abducted or killed since the beginning of 2026.
In its latest report dated September 6, 2026, InterSociety said its figures were based on collected and analysed statistics from primary and secondary sources.
The organisation said the first eight months of 2026 recorded a particularly high level of violence against Christians, with 2,550 deaths and 2,800 abductions already recorded between January and June.
InterSociety said the additional attacks recorded in July and August pushed the eight-month figures to the levels contained in its latest report.
It said the August figures alone included 138 Christians killed and 180 abducted, with many of the attacks occurring in Plateau and Benue states.
“Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen and Jihadist Fulani Bandits are found to have accounted for no fewer than 90% of the attacks,” the organisation said, adding that its findings had also been corroborated by residents, survivors and eyewitnesses in affected communities.
InterSociety further said its figures were specifically focused on what it described as religiously motivated attacks perpetrated by Nigeria’s Islamic Jihadist groups.
According to the report, the August attacks included killings in Plateau, Benue, Adamawa and Kaduna states, as well as the reported abduction and killing of a pastor and other victims in Plateau State.
The organisation also reported a rise in attacks on churches, estimating that the number of attacked or destroyed churches nationwide had reached **19,800 by the end of August 2026.
It said at least 230 churches had been attacked or destroyed within the Wukari and Jalingo Catholic diocesan areas of Taraba State between September 2025 and August 2026, while more than 100,000 parishioners had reportedly been uprooted and about 200 Christian villages sacked.
InterSociety said the scale of displacement and destruction showed that the crisis went beyond isolated attacks.
The organisation also cited the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria (EYN) and the Universal Reformed Christian Church (NKST), saying the two denominations had collectively lost more than 27,000 members and thousands of churches to jihadist violence since July 2009.
“The Church lost more than 8,600 members and hundreds of their District worship centers (churches) to Boko Haram particularly in Yobe, Adamawa, Taraba and Borno,” InterSociety quoted former EYN President, Pastor Billi, as saying in 2020.
The organisation also quoted NKST General Secretary, Rev. Ta Targba, as saying 5,987 members and 753 churches belonging to the denomination had been lost to attacks in Benue State alone.
InterSociety said the continuing attacks required urgent attention to the protection of vulnerable communities and religious institutions.
