The organisation alleged that Nigerian security agencies are complicit in the religious killings.
A report by the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety), has identified Benue, Plateau and Kaduna states as the worst hit by religious killings in Nigeria.
Intersociety stated this as part of its latest report shared with SaharaReporters on Sunday and titled, "Governors In South-East Deafeningly And Dangerously Turning Igbo Into Jihadist Violence-Prone Benue, Plateau and Southern Kaduna."
In the report subtitled "Shocking Statistics Arising from our several reports In Nigeria" the organisation said that more than 8200 defenceless Christians were hacked to death in 13 months between January 2023 to January 2024 in Nigeria, while over 8000 others were abducted.
The organisation alleged that Nigerian security agencies are complicit in the religious killings.
The report said that “Nigeria also recorded over 150,000 religious related deaths since the July 2009 following Boko Haram uprising; involving killing of at least 100,000 defenseless Christians, 46,000 moderate Muslims (killed by fellow but radical Fulani Muslims and allied others). Not less than 4,000 deaths were drawn from non-Christian and non-Muslim Faith members.”
According to the report, “Direct killings also accounted for not less than 100,000 deaths and indirect killings including deaths arising from state actor and non-state custodial torture and shootings or hackings; took the remaining 50,000 deaths.
“Between July 2009 and Jan 2024, not less than 19, 000 churches including over 2000 sacred temples of the “African Instituted Churches” and Jewish religion and over 1000 sanctuaries of the Traditional religionists were wantonly destroyed or burned down.
“About 2,500 Christian schools and other sacred places of learning were also affected.
“In the first past four months of 2024 or Jan to April, the number of Christians killed and those abducted has risen to an estimated 800 and 1000 respectively.
“In all these, Benue, Plateau and Southern Kaduna have steadily remained the worst hit since June 2015; to the extent that in the past four years or 2020 to 2023; the three states had lost not less than 24,000 persons on a yearly average of 2000 deaths.”
The organisation added that “Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen, dangerously accommodated in the three States over the years have also seized, Islamised and Islamically renamed more than 300-400 uprooted indigenous Christian communities since June 2015 and uprooted and displaced over 1000 communities.
“Today, Benue State accounts for at least 2million Christian IDPs - with hundreds of thousands of others found in Plateau and Southern Kaduna.”
The report noted that “Release International, a respected UK not-for-profit group promoting the International Freedom of Religion or Belief and caring for the persecuted Christians in Nigeria had in its April 22, 2024 statement, condemned strongly soldiers of the Nigerian military for opening fire with live bullets at students of the University of Jos protesting attacks against villages by Jihadist Fulani herdsmen allowed by soldiers to operate freely without challenge.
“The students’ protest followed recent indiscriminate killing of defenseless Christians leading to death of more than 40 between 1st and 18th of April 2024 in Christian/University communities located in Bokkos and Mangu in Plateau State; during which soldiers of the Nigerian military reportedly took side and allowed the Jihadist Fulani herdsmen to wreck havocs despite having been severally alerted ahead of the Jihadist attacks.
“In the ensuing shootings, soldiers reportedly shot dead scores of students and wounded others.”
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