KEY POINTS

• 3,083 people were reportedly killed and 3,193 abducted between January and August 2026.
• August alone recorded an estimated 138 deaths and 180 abductions, with Plateau and Benue heavily affected.
• InterSociety also estimated that about 19,800 churches have been attacked or destroyed since July 2009.

More than 3,000 Nigerians were abducted between January and August 2026, while over 3,000 others were reportedly killed as insecurity and violent attacks continued across several parts of the country.

At least 3,083 people were reportedly killed and another 3,193 abducted across Nigeria in the first eight months of 2026, according to a report by the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (InterSociety).

The figures, compiled from primary and secondary sources tracking violent attacks and their victims, highlight the continuing security challenges confronting communities across the country.

InterSociety said its assessment focused on attacks it classified as religiously motivated violence, with the Middle Belt and other areas affected by armed attacks recording some of the most severe incidents.

The organisation warned that the actual number of casualties could be higher because some attacks and victims may not have been officially reported.

The report identified July and August as particularly deadly months, with several communities coming under attack and hundreds of people reportedly killed or abducted.

In August alone, at least 138 people were reported killed and 180 abducted in attacks across different states. Plateau and Benue States were among the worst-affected areas, with a series of deadly attacks recorded during the month.

In Plateau State, at least 15 people were reportedly killed between August 2 and 12, while nearly 30 others were killed between August 17 and 18. Another five people were reportedly killed in the state on August 26. In Benue, about 30 people were reportedly massacred on August 16, according to the report.

InterSociety also recorded the deaths of two people in Kaduna State on August 22 and five others in Riyom, Plateau State, between August 25 and September 1.

The organisation said the August death toll could rise further when unreported cases, which it described as “dark figures”, are taken into account.

It also estimated that some abducted victims may eventually be killed by their captors, adding an estimated 10 per cent of such cases to its assessment. Abductions of travellers emerged as another major concern during the period under review.

According to the report, at least 92 travellers, predominantly from eastern Nigeria, were kidnapped in separate attacks in Benue, Kogi and Ondo states on August 9 and 13.

Another 25 travellers, including 15 National Youth Service Corps members, were reportedly abducted in Kogi State on August 26.

The report attributed the high number of victims from eastern Nigeria partly to the large number of people from the region travelling along major routes connecting the South-East with Lagos and Abuja.

Other reported incidents included the abduction of seven people, including a 10-month-old baby, in Ndegwu, Owerri West, Imo State, on August 17.

Two pastors were also reportedly abducted in Plateau State on August 28, while six teenage wood hawkers and another adult were allegedly kidnapped in a forest in Edo State.

Additional abduction cases were reported in Southern Kaduna, Kogi and Enugu states.

After accounting for cases it believed may have gone unreported, InterSociety estimated that 180 people were abducted in August.

It further claimed that more than 120 of the victims — about 70 per cent — were from eastern Nigeria.

Death toll rises sharply from January

InterSociety said Nigeria recorded 2,550 deaths and 2,800 abductions between January and June 2026.

The addition of incidents recorded in July and August raised its estimated eight-month figures to 3,083 deaths and 3,193 abductions.

The figures point to a sustained pattern of violence involving armed attacks, kidnappings and killings across multiple regions.

The organisation said the crisis has continued to affect ordinary communities, travellers and families, while forcing residents in some affected areas to abandon their homes.

Beyond killings and abductions, the report raised concerns about attacks on places of worship.

InterSociety estimated that about 19,800 churches had been attacked or destroyed across Nigeria since July 2009.

It said approximately 19,400 churches had been attacked or destroyed by December 2025, with the figure rising to about 19,700 by the end of June 2026 and 19,800 by August.

The organisation also reported that at least 25 Christian clergy members, including priests and pastors, had been attacked, abducted or killed since the beginning of 2026. Five additional cases were reportedly recorded in July and August.

Taraba State was highlighted as one of the areas where prolonged attacks have resulted in significant displacement.

The report claimed that about 230 churches under the Catholic Diocese of Wukari had been attacked or destroyed between September 2025 and August 2026.

It further estimated that more than 100,000 parishioners had been displaced from their communities as a result of the violence.

According to the report, about 200 Christian villages were also sacked during the period, while at least 16 Catholic priests were forced to flee their communities. The residences of at least eight priests were reportedly destroyed or burned.

InterSociety estimated that more than 140 people were killed in the affected areas between May and August 2026.

Among the incidents it cited was the March 4 fire that severely damaged the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary in Wukari.

The report also referenced the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria and the Universal Reformed Christian Church, which it said had suffered major losses from attacks over the years.

It cited a 2020 disclosure by the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria that more than 8,600 of its members and hundreds of district worship centres had been lost to Boko Haram attacks, particularly in Yobe, Adamawa, Taraba and Borno states.

The Universal Reformed Christian Church was also cited as saying that 5,987 members and 753 churches had been lost to attacks in Benue State alone.

Overall, the figures presented by InterSociety depict a prolonged security crisis characterised by killings, mass abductions, displacement and attacks on community institutions.

The report’s findings underscore the continuing impact of insecurity on Nigerian families and communities, particularly in areas experiencing repeated armed attacks and kidnappings.