Civil rights group reports churches burned at a rate of three per day over 16 years
By Mike Odeh James
Enugu, Nigeria – A leading human rights watchdog, the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety), says Nigeria’s Christian communities have suffered the destruction or forced closure of nearly 19,100 churches since the Boko Haram insurgency began in July 2009.
In a report released on Sunday, the Enugu-based group detailed how Islamic militant groups and what it called “Jihad enablers” in the security and political establishments have overseen or allowed the near-daily sacking of Christian places of worship. The figures suggest 1,200 churches lost yearly – about 100 every month, or more than three each day.
A Nation Divided by Faith
According to Intersociety’s estimates, Nigeria is home to around 113 million Christians and 100 million Muslims. It says roughly 40 million Christians live in the north – many belonging to small rural congregations vulnerable to attack. The group warns that waves of violence and intimidation have “emptied” parishes across parts of northern and central Nigeria, leaving skeletal or abandoned church buildings in once-thriving communities.
The report highlights the stark divide: while southern Nigeria holds an estimated 70 million Christians, the north has become a hostile frontier for church life.
From Boko Haram to Fulani Militias
Between July 2009 and December 2014, Boko Haram insurgents destroyed or shut down at least 13,000 churches, Intersociety says, citing corroboration from groups such as Open Doors and the 21st Century Initiative. Since 2015, a further 6,100 churches have been lost – many in states wracked by violence from armed Fulani herdsmen, jihadist bandits, or splinter groups like ISWAP and Ansaru.
Attacks have centred on Taraba, Adamawa, Borno, Katsina, Niger, Kogi, Nasarawa, Plateau, Benue, Bauchi, Yobe, Southern Kaduna and Gombe. In many of these regions, Catholics and members of other denominations have been forced to shut down parishes or flee entirely.
Catholic Dioceses Emptied
The Catholic Church has borne a heavy share of the losses. In Kaduna Archdiocese, which stretches into Sokoto, Zamfara, Kebbi and Katsina, parishes have been left with almost no congregants.
In Benue – home to four Catholic dioceses and some of Nigeria’s largest Christian populations – more than 20 parishes and hundreds of outstations have been forced to close. Fulani militias have repeatedly targeted churches, priests and worshippers.
Similar devastation has swept across Plateau, Niger and Kogi states. According to the report, the Catholic Diocese of Minna in Niger State now struggles to maintain parishes in Shiroro, Munya and Paikoro, where jihadist groups have effectively placed communities under siege.
Special Target: “White Clothing” Churches
Intersociety alleges that security forces themselves have carried out attacks on a separate category of Christian worshippers – the African Instituted Churches, also called “white clothing churches,” affiliated with the Christian Association of Nigeria.
Since January 2021, it says, police and military crack squads have attacked more than 1,000 such churches in Nigeria’s southeast, particularly in Orlu, Imo State. Authorities allegedly labelled these congregations as fronts for pro-Biafra armed groups, leading to raids, abductions and extrajudicial killings of clergy and traditional religious leaders.
Devastation Across Denominations
The statistics are echoed by church bodies and other monitors.
Church of the Brethren in Nigeria (EYN): Between 2009 and 2020, Boko Haram killed 8,370 members and destroyed 300 of its 586 branches, according to its then-president Rev Joel Billi. He said more than 700,000 members were displaced.
Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Benue State: In 2018, it reported that Fulani militias had destroyed more than 500 churches in the state. By May 2025, the Makurdi Diocese alone had 14 parishes attacked and forced to shut down within two weeks, with at least 50 parishioners killed.
COCIN (Church of Christ in Nations): In July 2024, it announced the closure of 70 congregations in Plateau State following attacks in Mangu and Bokkos.
Kaduna State CAN: In 2023, its chairman Rev Joseph Hayab said over 200 churches had been shut down in Birnin Gwari, Chikun and Kajuru in four years, with Baptist, ECWA, Assemblies of God and Catholic congregations worst affected.
A Pattern of Cleansing
The Intersociety report frames the destruction of churches as part of a broader campaign of ethno-religious cleansing. It says traditional religionists in the southeast have also been profiled and targeted under counterinsurgency operations. Shrines have been destroyed, and priests abducted or killed, on suspicion of ties to separatist groups.
“The labeling of church facilities as training camps for Biafra agitators has created a pretext for their destruction,” the group wrote.
Sources and Corroboration
The report draws on a range of sources, including Nigerian and international media, church leaders, and rights monitors. Among them:
Open Doors (2015): Estimated 13,000 churches and 1,500 Christian schools destroyed in five years.
Vanguard (2016): Citing foreign research groups, it confirmed 13,000 churches lost by end-2015.
Sahara Reporters (2020): Quoted EYN figures of 8,370 members killed by Boko Haram.
Premier Christian News (2014): Reported 185 Catholic parishes set ablaze in Adamawa and Borno over two months.
“Tracking and Justice”
Intersociety’s chairman, criminologist Emeka Umeagbalasi, said the organisation’s mission was not only to document atrocities but also to seek justice.
“Our monitoring is aimed at identifying perpetrators, victims and wronged communities – and ensuring that adequate punishments are visited upon perpetrators to deter repeat violations,” he said.
The group said it relies on six strategies: compiling media and NGO reports, verifying evidence from affected communities, using government data, drawing on diplomatic findings, deploying field researchers, and building on its own archives.
No Let-Up in Attacks
Despite international condemnation of Nigeria’s security crisis, church leaders say the attacks show little sign of abating. Reports in August 2025 described the desecration of St Paul’s Parish in Katsina-Ala, Benue State, alongside the occupation of 26 outstations by Fulani militias.
In Plateau, priests warn of “evangelical devastation” across dioceses. In Niger and Kogi, jihadist groups continue to tighten their grip. In Kaduna, hundreds of churches remain shuttered, their pastors scattered.
For Intersociety, the message is clear: without accountability for perpetrators and stronger protections for communities, Nigeria’s Christians face the continuing risk of erasure from entire regions of the country.
