Nigeria

Drivers of communal and insurgent violence in Nigeria include militant Islamist groups such as Boko Haram that have killed both Christians and Muslims; clashes between mainly Muslim herders and mostly Christian farmers over land and water; and armed bandits who carry out abductions for ransom and frequently target schools.

Militant Islamist groups such as Boko Haram have carried out violence in Nigeria that has killed both Christians and Muslims.

Conflicts in Nigeria between mainly Muslim herders and mostly Christian farmers are driven by disputes over land and water resources.

Armed bandits in Nigeria carry out kidnappings for ransom, and schools are frequent targets of those abductions.

As of 2025, at least 1,500 students have been seized in Nigeria since the April 2014 kidnapping of the Chibok schoolgirls, and many of those seized were later released only after ransoms were paid.

Armed actors in Nigeria have carried out mass abductions of schoolchildren from boarding schools, a pattern that has led authorities to temporarily close schools in affected areas.

As of 2025-11-18, Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) were the primary Islamist extremist groups operating in Nigeria and they primarily targeted Christians while also attacking Muslims of other sects.

Kidnapping gangs in Nigeria commonly target schools, travelers, and remote villages to abduct people for ransom.

Nigeria's population is about 220 million and is approximately evenly split between Christians and Muslims.

Violence in Nigeria is driven by multiple motives, including religiously motivated attacks targeting both Christians and Muslims, clashes between farmers and herders over resource competition, communal rivalries, secessionist movements, and ethnic conflicts.

The Boko Haram extremist group seeks to establish a radical interpretation of Islamic law and has targeted both Christians and Muslims, including Muslims it deems insufficiently observant.

The U.S. State Department designated Nigeria as a "country of particular concern" for alleged systematic violations of religious freedom in 2020, and that designation was lifted in 2023.

As of 2025, Nigeria's population was about 220 million, with Christians and Muslims each comprising roughly half of the population.

Violent attacks in Nigeria have multiple motives, including religiously motivated attacks against both Christians and Muslims, farmer-herder clashes over dwindling resources, communal rivalries, secessionist movements, and ethnic clashes.

The United States designated Nigeria as a 'country of particular concern' for systematic violations of religious freedom in 2020 and removed that designation in 2023.

Open Doors International's 2025 World Watch List identifies Nigeria as one of the most dangerous countries in the world to be a Christian.

Open Doors International's 2025 World Watch List estimates that 48% of Nigeria's population is Christian.

Open Doors International's 2025 World Watch List reports that of 4,476 Christians reported killed worldwide in its reporting period, 3,100 (69%) of those deaths were in Nigeria.

Human rights groups estimate that approximately 4,000 to 8,000 Christians are killed annually in Nigeria.

Boko Haram, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), and Fulani militant groups are commonly identified as the primary perpetrators of violent attacks in Nigeria that often target Christian farmers and communities.

There has been a yearslong wave of killings, abductions, and village attacks affecting communities in northern and central Nigeria, with Christian communities reporting that the situation has reached crisis levels.

Boko Haram is an Islamist militant group active in Nigeria that has carried out killings, abductions, and attacks against civilians.

The office of the Nigerian presidency has stated that characterizing Nigeria's security challenges as a targeted campaign against a single religious group is a misrepresentation and that terrorists attack Muslims, Christians, and those of no faith alike.

The international watchdog group Open Doors reported that nearly 70% of Christians worldwide who were killed for their faith in 2024 were killed in Nigeria.

A 2024 UNICEF finding reported that only 37% of schools across 10 conflict-affected Nigerian states had early warning systems to detect threats.

An estimated 50,000 Christians have been killed in religious violence in Nigeria since 2009.

The United States has provided security assistance to Nigeria since at least 2009, including arms sales, training, and equipment reported to total billions of dollars.

Attacks including killings and abductions targeting Christians and Christian institutions have been reported in Nigeria since at least 2001.

Gangs of bandits in Nigeria commonly target schools, travelers, and remote villages in kidnappings carried out for ransom.

Analysts and local sources report that criminal gangs in Nigeria often target schools, travelers, and remote villages in kidnappings carried out for ransom.

Kidnappings in Nigeria have included the abduction of schoolchildren.

School kidnappings have become a defining aspect of insecurity in Nigeria, with armed gangs often treating schools as strategic targets to attract attention.

Violent attacks in Nigeria have affected both Christian and Muslim communities rather than exclusively targeting a single religious group.