Nov 18, 2025 10:15 PM
(This post was last modified: Nov 18, 2025 10:24 PM by C C.)
https://apnews.com/article/nigeria-chris...7931b5cf51
KEY POINTS: Trump has told defense officials to begin preparing for military action in Nigeria, where he says Christianity faces an “existential threat.” But experts and residents say the violence that has long plagued the West African country isn’t so simply explained. Data shows that while Christians are targeted over faith in some attacks, most victims of overall violence are Muslims.
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WIKIPEDIA: Religious violence in Nigeria refers to Christian-Muslim strife in Nigeria, which can be traced back to 1953. Today, religious violence in Nigeria is dominated by the Boko Haram insurgency, which aims to establish an Islamic state in Nigeria.
University of Johannesburg law professor Werner Nicolaas Nel has noted that this has resulted in the persecution of Christians in Nigeria. The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) reported that, as of 2025, just under 53,000 civilians, including Christians and Muslims, had been killed in targeted political violence since 2009.
Organisations that monitor political violence in Nigeria have reported that the majority of victims of jihadist groups are Muslim. According to ACLED's 2022 report, although Christians constitute roughly 50% of the population, violence explicitly targeting Christians on the basis of religion accounted for only 5% of reported civilian-targeting events.
However, ACLED noted that violence aimed at Christians "increased by 21% in 2021 compared to 2020." This includes murder, as well as the abduction of Roman Catholic and Methodist clergy. In 2025, this garnered international attention with United States president Donald Trump vowing military action in Nigeria if the attacks against Christians did not subside.
KEY POINTS: Trump has told defense officials to begin preparing for military action in Nigeria, where he says Christianity faces an “existential threat.” But experts and residents say the violence that has long plagued the West African country isn’t so simply explained. Data shows that while Christians are targeted over faith in some attacks, most victims of overall violence are Muslims.
- - - - - - - - - - -
WIKIPEDIA: Religious violence in Nigeria refers to Christian-Muslim strife in Nigeria, which can be traced back to 1953. Today, religious violence in Nigeria is dominated by the Boko Haram insurgency, which aims to establish an Islamic state in Nigeria.
University of Johannesburg law professor Werner Nicolaas Nel has noted that this has resulted in the persecution of Christians in Nigeria. The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) reported that, as of 2025, just under 53,000 civilians, including Christians and Muslims, had been killed in targeted political violence since 2009.
Organisations that monitor political violence in Nigeria have reported that the majority of victims of jihadist groups are Muslim. According to ACLED's 2022 report, although Christians constitute roughly 50% of the population, violence explicitly targeting Christians on the basis of religion accounted for only 5% of reported civilian-targeting events.
However, ACLED noted that violence aimed at Christians "increased by 21% in 2021 compared to 2020." This includes murder, as well as the abduction of Roman Catholic and Methodist clergy. In 2025, this garnered international attention with United States president Donald Trump vowing military action in Nigeria if the attacks against Christians did not subside.