MANILA, Philippines (Daily Sun Chronicle) — At least 25 Christians have been killed over the past 12 days in a series of attacks in Nigeria, according to church leaders and rights monitors, underscoring ongoing violence that has made the country one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a Christian.

Open Doors, in its 2025 World Watch List, reported that 3,100 of the 4,476 Christians killed worldwide for their faith were in Nigeria, accounting for roughly 69% of global totals.

Middle Belt of Nigeria

The latest attacks were carried out largely in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, where communities have reported killings, abductions, and the burning of homes, churches, and farms.

Last week, suspected Fulani herdsmen killed two Christians in Nasarawa state and two others in Plateau state, following the earlier killing of 11 Christians, Morning Star News reported. The group also allegedly raided a village in Keana County overnight, killing two people and abducting another.

“Keana Local Government Area is no longer safe,” resident Musa Adamu told the outlet, reporting recent kidnappings and repeated incursions by armed men.

On the same night, Fulani militants killed two Christians and 11 others in coordinated attacks in Riyom, according to witnesses cited by Morning Star News.

Christian Deaths

In Benue state, Rev. Simon Nbach of Flaming Fire Ministry was among 10 Christians killed on Nov. 3. Attackers also burned a Catholic church and destroyed dozens of homes, residents said.

Hundreds of mourners gathered in Kaduna state for the burial of seven Christians — including a 12-year-old boy — killed in another attack. “The funeral is a ceremony of tears,” resident Daniel Dodo said, describing a community grieving amid what he called “deliberate violence” against Christians.

Nigeria has recorded more than 52,000 Christian deaths since 2009, according to monitoring groups. Some of the deadliest recent attacks occurred in June, when an estimated 200 Christians were killed in Yelwata, a farming community in Benue state. Survivors told CBN News that many victims were burned alive or hacked with machetes as militants torched homes.

Human-rights groups say some factions within the Fulani, a vast ethnic group spread across Nigeria and the Sahel, have embraced extremist Islamist ideologies. The UK’s All-Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom of Religion or Belief reported that certain Fulani militants have adopted tactics similar to Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province, targeting Christian communities and symbols.

Violence has expanded southward in recent years, and a new jihadist group known as Lakurawa has emerged in Nigeria’s northwest, according to Open Doors.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump recently designated Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern” and warned that U.S. aid and sanctions may be reconsidered if the government fails to protect Christian populations. He said on social media that the United States could provide military assistance if needed.

Intersociety, a Nigerian rights organization, reported more than 7,000 Christians killed in the first 220 days of this year.

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