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…As Rights Group Urges Global Action Against Escalating Faith-Based Killings

In a strong validation of its work, the U.S.-based Ekwenche Research Institute has fully endorsed the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) as Nigeria’s Data Warehouse on Religious Violence, certifying the “impeccable nature” and “professional integrity” of its findings and advocacy reports.

Ekwenche, a reputable nonprofit research institute founded in 1998 in the United States, issued the endorsement in reaction to Intersociety’s latest publication on religious persecution and faith-based violence in Nigeria.

In its official statement dated October 12, 2025, the institute said:

“Ekwenche Research Institute, a United States of America not-for-profit institute since 1998, hereby boldly certifies the impeccable nature of data output from Intersociety, including the interpretations and discussions with adjoining conclusions from their findings as offered. We boldly stand with you as Nigeria’s Data Warehouse with full unreserved endorsement as described above.”
@Ekwenche, 12th October 2025.

Intersociety’s Report: Data, Findings, and Global Appeal

Intersociety, in its report, declared itself Nigeria’s foremost hub for credible data on human rights and religious freedom violations, citing its 15 years of research-based documentation, investigations, and advocacy. The organization emphasized that its methodology integrates criminological analysis, field research, eyewitness accounts, and international collaboration to ensure accuracy and transparency.

In a statement signed by its principal officers, including Emeka Umeagbalasi, a Criminologist/Researcher and Head; Obianuju Joy Igboeli, Esq. the Head, Dept. of Civil Liberties and Rule of Law; Chidinma Udegbunam, Esq., the Head, Dept. of Campaign and Publicity; Ogochukwu Obi, Esq., and the Deputy Head, Dept. of International Justice and Human Rights, the group condemned the Nigerian government’s consistent failure to address or prosecute perpetrators of religiously motivated killings, accusing state actors of complicity and denial. It noted that the government’s “Muslim-Muslim presidency” configuration further undermines the nation’s secular constitution and religious pluralism.

International Recognition and Continuing Advocacy

Intersociety extended appreciation to international religious freedom advocates and faith-based organizations across the U.S., Canada, and Europe for their ongoing solidarity with persecuted communities in Nigeria.

The group cited the 2020 U.S. designation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern as a major step forward but insisted that more concrete international justice actions are needed.

It warned that without urgent intervention, Nigeria risks plunging into a “Rwandan-type genocide,” with far-reaching humanitarian implications for Africa, Europe, and the Americas.

Documented Killings and Updated Data

The report revealed that at least 54 Christians were killed between August and October 2025 in Kaduna, Imo, and Benue States, including the brutal murder of Prophetess Ebere and 19 members of her prayer ministry in Orlu, Imo State, as well as numerous killings in Southern Kaduna and Benue communities.

According to Intersociety’s updated statistics, 125,000 Christians and 60,000 nonviolent Muslims have been killed in Nigeria since 2009, while 19,100 churches have been destroyed. The group maintains that these figures reflect both state and non-state actor violence, reinforced by impunity and lack of accountability.

International Call to Action

Ekwenche Research Institute urged global institutions to take Intersociety’s findings seriously, describing the organization’s data as “indispensable for understanding the ongoing religious persecution in Nigeria.” It called on the U.S. Government, Canada, the European Union, and the International Criminal Court to intensify scrutiny of Nigeria’s human rights record and demand compliance with international law obligations.

Both organizations reiterated their commitment to justice, truth, and protection of religious freedom in Nigeria, calling for renewed global pressure to ensure that perpetrators are brought to book and communities restored.

The full statement reads;

We Are Nigeria’s Data Warehouse In Monitoring And Tracking Religious Violence

-Intersociety

…thanks CAN and international religious freedom voices in USA, Canada and Europe for their strong solidarity with persecuted Christians, Muslims, others in Nigeria and call for more int’l justice actions

…as Jihadists freshly killed 54 Christians in two months (August-Sept) in Kaduna, Imo and Plateau alone

Intersociety, Enugu Nigeria: 12/10/2025: The leaders and friends of the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (https://intersociety-ng.org) boldly state that we are Nigeria’s data warehouse in monitoring and tracking egregious and grisly human rights abuses and violations especially Religious Violence.

We also make bold to say that Religious Violence is not restricted to Christians alone, one of our earliest advocacy against Religious Violence in Nigeria was in Dec 2015 when we rose in strong defense and protection of processionist and nonviolent Shiite Muslims, also known as Islamic Movement in Nigeria; during Nigerian Army massacre of their members in procession in Zaria part of Kaduna, killing no fewer than 900 and injuring hundreds of others, after which the then Kaduna State SSG, admitted the ‘death of 348’, buried in mass graves.

We Are Leading Trackers And Monitors Of Rights Violations And Religious Violence: Intersociety credibly tracks and monitors egregious and grisly human rights abuses and violations including religious violence in Nigeria or any part thereof, and beyond the boundaries of Nigeria since 2010, having been founded as a registered not-for-profit in July 2008.

Our tracking and monitoring are in line with our advocacy prowess in research, investigation, documentation and publication; generally aimed at problem solving and post conflict/incident transformation grounded in deep study and understanding of: criminology, victimology and penology aimed at ensuring punitive, restorative and compensatory justice including identification of perpetrators, victims and the community wronged; for purposes of facilitating adequate punishments to the perpetrators to appease the offended and community wronged who must also adequately be compensated; deter the perpetrators and their copiers and prevent reoccurrences and impunity.

To ensure sound tracking and monitoring of egregious and grisly state actor and non-state actor human rights abuses and violations especially Religious Violence rooted in structural, physical and cultural violence, in line with the international best practices; and bearing in mind porous and poor state actor data management in Nigeria or any part thereof, Intersociety uses or applies six major advocacy methods: (1) tracking, compiling and analyzing reports or works done by local and international media and human rights groups, research persons and research institutions, etc., (2) making use of credible eyewitnesses’ accounts and gathered evidence including those in possession of leaders of the affected Christian communities or other religious bodies, (3) making use of verifiable and credible government reports including declassified and sound intelligence-generated statistics from security agencies, (4) making use of findings arising from reports issued by diplomatic and intergovernmental bodies, etc.,(5) deploying our field research assistants at incident or crime scenes for purposes of data collection, analysis, documentation, publication and warehousing and (6) making use of, or building our fresh reports from our archives including previous statistics or report.

International Religious Freedom Voices Have Done Well: The leaders and friends of the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule Of Law (https://intersociety-ng.org), Nigeria’s leading research and investigative human rights and security and safety advocacy group since 2008 are thanking in a special way several international religious freedom voices and activists especially in the United States, Canada and Europe for their recent strong, bravely and courageous show of solidarity regarding the ongoing egregious Religious Persecution especially Persecution against Christians (‘Nigerian Christian Genocide’) in Nigeria or any part thereof, which has intensified and remained unaddressed since July 2009, a period of sixteen years; leading to first designation in December 2020, of Nigeria as “a Country of Particular Concern’ by the first time Administration of Donald Trump in the United States.

It is also our advocacy position that we are not surprised at intolerant and incorrigible position of the Government of Nigeria including attacks and threats directed at international voices that have raised genuine concerns and expressed strong disappointment over Nigerian Government’s poor handling of the issue, in addition to widespread allegations over the Government’s complicity in the egregious attacks on Christians and their sacred places of worship or learning.

We also make bold to say that five years are more than enough for a serious minded and sincere Government to secularly, neutrally and securely fix the problem, having been designated as ‘Country of Particular Concern’ in December 2020.

It is shocking and saddening to note that instead of the Nigerian Government genuinely looking for lasting solution or best ways to tackle the issue including welcoming the international voices and seeking for their understanding, cooperation and assistance where necessary, the Ahmed Bola Tinubu-led Government of Nigeria and the country’s federal bicameral legislature chose to resort to blanket denials, attacks, threats and name callings against those raising the concerns; even when most of them already have facts of the matter more than ten years ago through their close monitoring and data collection via primary and secondary sources.

The Nigerian Government’s argument that ‘Muslims are also being killed is not surprising, especially when the same Government had since 2023 gravely and dangerously imposed Muslim Presidency and Muslim Vice-Presidency central leadership style for the first time in the political history of the country; especially in a country with estimated 113m Christians, 100m Muslims and 13m traditionalists worshippers and allied others. It is therefore factually correct to submit here that whatever defense Nigerian Government is internationally deploying to ward off or clear itself of being embroiled in raging Religious Persecution, particularly Persecution against Christians, will always be defeated by undeniable imposition of ‘Muslim-Muslim Presidency or Islamization of seats of Presidency and Vice-Presidency, imposed with suspected State Jihadism intents’. The Nigerian Government also wobbled and wallowed in ignorance regarding the issue of protection and safety of Religious Freedom which is never restricted to Christians alone. To admit that ‘Christians are not only those being killed, Muslims are also being killed’, the Nigerian Government self-indicted itself and expressly admitted that Nigeria is undergoing raging and unaddressed Religious Persecution, perpetrators of which are freely and lawlessly protected and allowed to walk uncaught and untouched.

The Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria further failed woefully in performing its international obligations to Nigerian People by not ensuring adequate and round-the-clock protection and safety of defenseless religionists and their sacred places of worship or learning, by demonstrating inability and unwillingness in tracking and end egregious killings associated with such ethno-religious attacks in which the country’s ethno-religiously imbalanced and composed security forces are seriously fingered of being complicit and operationally involved.

In line with International Law’s Principle of ‘Complementarity and Zero Impunity’, under ICC Statute of 1998 and the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their Protocols, the current Government of Nigeria having sufficiently displayed ‘unwillingness and inability’ to track and tackle raging Religious Persecution in Nigeria or any part thereof since July 2009; has woefully failed in its regional and international duties and obligations by refusing to invite the ICC Chief Prosecutor to take over the matter; more so when Nigeria is a leading State-Party to the ICC Statute of 1998, signed and ratified by the country since Sept 2001.

More Int’l Justice Calls: The Intersociety and its international friends and partners hereby call on US, Canada and Europe’s Religious Freedom voices, activists and leaders not to rest or be intimidated until the Nigerian Government is compelled to rise to the occasion and frontally address the issue. It is not only that Nigeria is digitally and physically being saturated and enveloped by more than 22 fully grown and embryonic Islamic Terror Groups across Africa, there are also alleged plans by Nigerian Government to bring into the country other terror groups including a Fulani originated jihadist militants called ‘Bororos’ from neighboring countries and have them deployed in Kwara State and environs to ‘fight forest banditry and bandits’.

We are strongly warning again that unless something urgent and concrete is done to stop ‘Religious Genocide’ in Nigeria or any part thereof, otherwise, Christians and Christianity-affiliated others and their indigenous cultural heritages are likely to be obliterated in the next 50 years (2075 AD) or thereafter and it will be so grave and dangerous that Christian children born today may not likely remain Christians or give birth to Christian children and affiliated others by 2075 or thereafter. We therefore renew our strong appeal for Nigeria to be designated by USA as ‘Country of Particular Concern’ and Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen and Jihadist Fulani Bandits and enablers of their genocidal activities as ‘Entities of Particular Concern’, until the Nigerian Government demonstrates sincere willingness and ability to nip the issue in the bud, protect and safeguard Christians, Muslims, Traditionalists and Judaists and their sacred places of worship or learning; abolish ‘Muslim-Muslim Presidency’ and return Nigeria to ethnically, religiously and culturally pluralistic governance and composition.

While the Trump Government of the United States deserves commendation for the efforts made so far, more are needed until the ‘Rwandan-type Genocide’ looming in Nigeria or any part thereof is effectively prevented from exploding into ‘Complex Humanitarian Catastrophes or Emergencies’, with capacity to consume Africa, Europe, Asia and Americas with refugees and homeless persons in their torrential millions. The EU, UK and Canadian leaders and other international voices are also called upon to join hands in exerting adequate pressure on Nigerian Government to sincerely honor its Constitutional and Treaty-Laws’ obligations to the citizenry especially on Religious Freedom and its Protection and Safety in line with Sections 38 and 10 (no adoption of any religion as a State Religion) of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution, Articles 8 of the UDHR of 1948 and the ICCPR of 1976 as well as Article 18 of the ACHPR of 1981, signed and ratified by Nigeria in 1961, 1976 and 1983; all guaranteeing Nigeria’s citizen rights to Conscience, Thought and Religion.

54 Christians Killed And Others Abducted In Kaduna, Imo And Benue Since August: On 20/9/25, three Christians killed in Makurdi, Benue; on 19/9/25, two Christians killed in Guma, Benue; on 16/9/25, one Christian killed in Benue State; on 15/9/25, four Christians killed in Mbabai Ward, Benue State; on 13/9/25, three Christian farmers matcheted and decapitated; on 8/9/25, a Christian famer and his 10-Year-Old killed (Credit, Truth-Nigeria, 23/9/25).

By account of the Diaspora Digital Media, dated 23/9/2025, facts emerged, revealing how an Orlu, Imo State-base Christian Prophetess, Ebere and 19 of her Ministry members were ambushed during their nighttime ‘Mountain Prayer and Fasting’ and later gruesomely murdered.

The mountain forest area is said to have been ravaged by jihadist activities of Fulani Militants who work hand-in-hand with Counterfeit Agitators and other criminal entities. On 3/10/25, Jihadist Fulani Bandits killed four in Southern Kaduna (Sahara Reporters, Oct 3, 2025); on 7/9/25, Sahara Reporters reported that Jihadists killed eight persons (Christians) in Kachia, Southern Kaduna; on August 31, Sahara Reporters also reported the killing of seven persons, mostly minors in Kauru, Southern Kaduna; on 5/10/25, Sahara Reporters reported attack by Fulani Herdsmen on Onoli Community in Awgu Local Government Area of Enugu, killing a local Christian and macheting several others, during which the neighboring community, Obuovia village of Ugwuleshi in Awgu voiced out that the community has been completely displaced by Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen and instead of police and soldiers coming to their rescue, their indigenes are being clamped into indefinite detention and labeled ‘ESN/IPOB members. By the account of the Release International, dated August 18, 2025, three Christians were killed by Fulani Jihadists on August 13, 2025 in the village of Gwom in Plateau State. The above therefore showed that not less than 54 Christians have been in the past 60 days (August 10-Oct 10, 2025) in three States alone.

We Have Massively Updated Our Two Recent Reports On Religious Violence: Our two recent reports: ‘Killing of estimated 7000 Christians, abduction of 7,800 others in 310 days gone by and congregated and aggregated killing of estimated 125,000 Christians and 60,000 nonviolent Muslims across Nigeria in sixteen years or July 2009 to Oct 10, 2025’; and ‘downing of estimated 19,100 churches during the period’, have been massively updated and now up and running on our website (https://intersociety-ng.org).

The massive updates include addition of fresh statistics and their sources, both primary and secondary sources. The scope of our investigations and advocacy was also explained, in that our scope is larger than others used by other researchers because ours includes mirroring our searchlight on the operations of ‘radicalized armed state actors’ and ‘radicalized non-state actors’ involved in organized attacks on defenseless citizens on the grounds of their ethno-religious backgrounds or affiliations; including monitoring the Nigerian security forces’ operations in Eastern Nigeria; leadership of which is dominated by Northern Muslim officers as commanders. In Imo State alone, a State with 95% Christian population; Brigadier Gen Ibrahim Abbas, a Northern Muslim officer, is Commander of 34 Army Brigade, Obinze; Air Commodore D.E. Bello, a Northern Muslim officer, is Commander of Nigerian Air Force 211 Quick Response Group Base, Owerri; Navy Commodore MA Alhassan, another Northern Muslim officer, is Commander of Nigerian Naval Base, Oguta; and Mallam Aboki Danjuma, a Northern Muslim officer is Commissioner of Police, Imo State Command, etc.

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