Nigeria Under Tinubu Govt Hosts 22 Islamic Terror Groups Out of Africa’s Estimated 50, Escalating Genocide on Christians — Report
A new report has revealed that Nigeria under Tinubu hosts 22 Islamic terror groups out of an estimated 50 across Africa, fuelling an escalating genocide against Christians in the country.
The International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety), a human rights organisation based in Onitsha, released the findings in late February 2026, warning that Africa’s roughly 750 million Christians face a grave and growing threat from “tsunamic Islamic jihadism”.
Nigeria, the group says, stands at the heart of the crisis, serving as a safe haven and headquarters for the largest number of these groups.
According to the report, signed by Intersociety’s leader Emeka Umeagbalasi and other researchers, Nigeria under Tinubu has become the epicentre of attacks on Christians.
In 2025 alone, the organisation tracked more than 7,500 Christian deaths and 8,500 abductions linked to jihadist violence.
In the first two months of 2026 (up to late February), it recorded over 1,000 further Christian killings and around 1,600 abductions.
Since 2009, Intersociety estimates that around 128,000 Christians have been killed and 80,000 abducted in Nigeria, alongside the destruction or burning of nearly 19,500 churches — including 400 in the 15 months from December 2024 to February 2026.
The report lists groups such as Boko Haram (and its factions), Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), jihadist Fulani herdsmen and bandits, Ansaru, Lakurawa, and others with alleged links to global networks like ISIS and Al-Qaeda.
It argues that these terrorists aim not only to wipe out Christianity in Nigeria but also to erase indigenous cultural heritages and impose a form of Islamic rule in the long term.
Intersociety describes the violence as systematic and targeted, with Christians — especially in the Middle Belt, North-Central, and parts of the North-East and North-West — bearing the brunt.
It highlights how entire communities have been displaced, farmlands seized, and churches razed, forcing millions into camps or exile.
The group warns that without urgent action, the threat could spread further across Africa, putting hundreds of millions more Christians at risk in the coming decades, particularly in countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo and Ethiopia.
The claims come amid ongoing debates over the nature and scale of the violence in Nigeria.
Some international observers and reports have pointed to religious motivations in many attacks, while others stress that the killings often stem from complex factors including land disputes, criminality, and ethnic tensions — with Muslims also suffering heavy losses from the same groups.
Government officials and some analysts have rejected descriptions of “genocide”, arguing that security forces face multiple insurgencies and that the situation is not solely faith-based.
Intersociety, however, insists the pattern shows deliberate religious targeting, accusing authorities of denial and inaction that allows the terrorists to operate with impunity.
The report calls for stronger international pressure, including travel bans on certain leaders and designation of Nigeria as a country of particular concern for religious freedom violations.
As the findings circulate widely online and in media, they have reignited fierce discussions about security failures and the protection of religious minorities in Africa’s most populous nation.
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For many Christians across the country, the numbers paint a picture of daily fear and loss that shows no sign of easing.
