3,550 dead, 3,950 abducted: Rights group documents Jihadist bloodbath across Nigeria in six months

Human rights organisation Intersociety has alleged that over 3,550 Nigerians — including 2,550 Christians and 1,050 Muslims — were killed in jihadist attacks across Nigeria in the first six months of 2026, with nearly 4,000 others abducted, in a damning report accusing the Federal Government of wilful failure to act

The numbers are staggering — and the accusations against the Nigerian government are damning.

Human rights organisation International Society for Civil Rights and Rule of Law (Intersociety) has released a comprehensive report alleging that over 3,550 Nigerians lost their lives to jihadist violence between January and June 2026 — an average of 14 Christians and multiple Muslims killed every single day.

According to the report signed by Lead Researcher Emeka Umeagbalasi and three other senior officials, the breakdown includes 2,550 Christians and 1,050 Muslims killed across approximately 720 attacks — roughly 120 attacks monthly — while 2,800 Christians and 1,150 Muslims were abducted within the same period.

According to Daily Post,Plateau State, driven by Fulani ethnic militia activity, recorded the highest Christian death toll at approximately 420, followed closely by Southern Borno — Boko Haram territory — at 400. Benue and Taraba followed with significant figures.

Among the named victims is ECWA Church Elder Musa Usman, singled out from a commercial vehicle by Boko Haram in Yobe State and abducted while Muslim passengers were released, and COCIN Church Senior Pastor Reverend Marcus Nyam, killed among 30 Christians slaughtered in Kawel Village, Bokkos, Plateau State on June 22, 2026.

The report also alleged that jihadists destroyed 300 churches, killed 10 Christian pastors, abducted 10 others and forcibly converted 800 Christian women and children to Islam in captivity.

Intersociety reserved sharp criticism for Abuja, alleging that “the woeful failure of the Nigerian Government to frontally address these using its domestic body of criminal and procedural laws, or alternatively surrender the country’s jurisdiction to the International Criminal Court…is a clear case of self-indictment and culpability beyond defense.”

On Muslim casualties, the group said no fewer than 850 Muslim civilians were targeted by Fulani ethnic militias across Zamfara, Kaduna, Sokoto, Kebbi and other states — largely from non-Fulani civilian communities.