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6-year study challenges violence narrative in Nigeria, finds Christians bore heavier toll

July 2, 2026 · 1 min read

ABUJA, Nigeria — A new six-year study released by the Observatory for Religious Freedom in Africa (ORFA) is challenging long-held assumptions about the drivers of violence in Nigeria and the religious identity of its victims, with Christians bearing the larger burden.

Released on June 30, the report, “Killings and Abductions in Nigeria (2020–2025),” analyzes violence recorded between October 2019 and September 2025, documenting 79,323 people killed and nearly 35,000 abducted in attacks linked to what ORFA describes as terror groups.

The report argues that armed groups it classifies as “Fulani Terror Groups” were responsible for far more civilian deaths than Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) during the period under review.

According to ORFA’s press release , the findings “overturn long-standing assumptions” about Nigeriaʼs violence by concluding that Boko Haram and ISWAP together accounted for only 12% of civilian killings during the six-year period, while armed groups categorized by the organization as “Fulani Terror Groups” accounted for 44%.

“The data makes this very difficult to ignore,” Frans Vierhout, senior research Analyst at ORFA, said.…

Source: Catholic News Agency · Read the full story →

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Галина Михайлова

How many people have died reading that Christians bear the brunt and Fulaani terrorist groups are responsible for 44% of deaths. All this was mentioned yesterday at our celebration at St. Nicholas Church in the Bronx as an example of how violence tears families apart, even in places where we did not think.

Наталья Беляева

Yes, in our church on the street. Lenin also recently had a holiday in honor of St. Nicholas, and Father Archpriest spoke about how important it is to remember all those who suffer, even those who live overseas. At that holiday, did you talk about what particular holiday?

Пётр Семёнов

Yes, the numbers from the ORFA report are really scary - 44% are “Fulani terrorists”, and Christians suffered the most. In our parish in Novosibirsk we also remembered these events on St. Nicholas, but we talked specifically about the destroyed villages in the Plateau state. And at your celebration in the Bronx, who exactly provided this data - a missionary or someone from the locals?

Андрей Попов

Yes, the Plateau is often mentioned; many villages there were really burned out. Here in the Bronx, a missionary from Nigeria brought the data; he himself is from Benue and spoke about the same 44%. Did you read anything from the ORFA report aloud to Nikola or just discuss it?

Алексей Семёнов

Yes, quite a few villages were really burned out on the Plateau, that’s a fact. At Nikola’s on Sunday after the service, they just read a couple of pages from the ORFA report, especially about this 44% from “Fulani Terror Groups”. Does the missionary from Benue often come to visit you in the Bronx or was this a one-time visit?