56,000 killed in Nigeria’s ethnic and religious violence; Christians disproportionately affected

This image grab made from an AFPTV video taken in Maiyanga village, in Bokkos local government, on December 27, 2023 shows families burying in a mass grave their relatives killed in deadly attacks conducted by armed groups in Nigeria's central Plateau State. | Credit: Photo by KIM MASARA/AFPTV/AFP via Getty Images

A new report has found that ethnic and religious violence in Nigeria has claimed the lives of nearly 56,000 people in the West African country over four years — and the victims were disproportionately Christian.

The report, published by The Observatory for Religious Freedom in Africa, found more than 11,000 incidents of extreme violence from October 2019 through September of 2023. The violence left 55,910 people dead in 9,970 deadly attacks — as well as 21,621 people abducted in 2,705 attacks.

The total number includes civilian deaths, terror group deaths, and Nigerian Armed Forces deaths. Of the total deaths, 30,880 were civilians.

Of the civilians, at least 16,769 Christians were killed, 6,235 Muslims were killed and 154 adherents of traditional African religions were killed. The religions of 7,722 victims are unknown.

The proportional loss for Christians, however, was much higher in the states where the attacks occurred. In terms of state populations, the report found that Christians were 6.5 times more likely to be killed in the violence. Similarly, when accounting for state populations, Christians were 5.1 times more likely to be victims of abduction.

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