No fewer than 700 Christians were killed in Nigeria in May 2023, a report by the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety), has said.
The group in the report released last week said Plateau State in the North Central region of the country witnessed the bloodiest killings, especially in the Mangu area. It said that about 300 Christians were slaughtered in three days between May 15 and 17 in the state.
According to Christian Post, Intersociety, in the report, said at least 1,100 were killed by Jihadist between April and June 2.
“The period under review also represents one of the bloodiest in anti-Christian attacks in Nigeria,” it said.
The report also said another state in the North Central region, Benue, was the next to experience the killings with 110 persons slaughtered from May to early June. It stated that 40 persons were killed within 24 hours in the state between June 3 and June 4 while the death toll was over 190 between April 12 and June 12.
Within the months of May and June, at least 100 Christians were killed in Kaduna State in the North West region, making it the most deadly state, the report said. It noted that 33 persons were killed in Runji village and 42 houses destroyed on April 15.
Churches razed, abductions
Intersociety, headed by Emeka Umeagbalasi, a Christian criminologist, also said in the report that between April and June, close to 100 churches were razed or destroyed in Nigeria. Of this figure, Plateau State has the highest number with 28.
The group said a pastor was among the victims and that about 20 other pastors were abducted or killed within the period. It said about 1,400 Christians were kidnapped in the last two months with Kaduna topping the list with about 700 followed by the neighbouring Niger State with 300.
Intersociety said in the report that no fewer than 1,000 communities, mostly those dominated by Christians, have been displaced and subsequently occupied by the invaders since 2016. It said Benue recorded the highest with 400 communities, Kaduna 245, and Plateau 200.
In April, the group had reported that 1,041 Christians were killed and about 700 abducted in the first 100 days of 2023. Its data now shows that about 2,150 were killed and over 1,400 abducted between January and June 2023.
Intersociety, which is based in Anambra State, South East region of Nigeria, had fingered Fulani herdsmen, Boko Haram and its breakaway faction, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) as well as the al-Qaeda-affiliated Ansaru as groups involved in the violence.
Intersociety said its sourced its data from local and international media, religious organisations, security channels, research, intergovernmental organisations, nongovernmental organisations, human rights bodies, international parliamentary organisations or diplomatic institutions.
In its recent report released in January 2023, Open Doors, a Christian watchdog, ranked Nigeria as 6th among 50 countries of the world where it is most difficult to follow Jesus Christ.