Nigeria has become one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a Christian. Human rights groups estimate more than 52,000 Christians have been killed in the country since 2009. This year alone, more than 7,000 have already been murdered and thousands more kidnapped. Advocacy groups say more than 19,000 churches have been destroyed and millions of believers displaced from their homes.
Despite the scale of the crisis, it has drawn little global attention. On a recent episode of HBO’s Real Time, host Bill Maher highlighted the lack of coverage.
“If you don’t know what’s going on in Nigeria, your media sources suck,” he said. “You are in a bubble. They are literally attempting to wipe out the Christian population of an entire country. Where are the kids protesting this?”
The attacks are concentrated in Nigeria’s Middle Belt and northern states, where armed groups storm villages, kill men, abduct women and children, torch crops and burn churches. Islamist extremists such as Boko Haram and ISIS affiliates are responsible for many raids. Militant Fulani herdsmen have also been linked to assaults on predominantly Christian farming communities, forcing families from their land.
Survivors describe fleeing burning homes with nothing. Pastors have been kidnapped during services. Congregations have been massacred while gathered for worship. Catholic leaders say more than 100 priests have been abducted in the past decade, many never returning.
The Nigerian government has promised investigations, but accountability is rare. After an attack this summer left more than 100 Christians dead in Benue state, President Bola Tinubu condemned the killings and pledged justice. Months later, no perpetrators have been brought to trial. Rights groups accuse security forces of responding too slowly or failing to act at all.
Meanwhile, millions of Christians are displaced inside Nigeria. Rep. Chris Smith of New Jersey has said at least 5 million Nigerians — mostly Christians — have been forced into camps or across borders. Some estimates put the number as high as 12 million. Families that once lived on farmland now depend on aid in temporary shelters.
Outside advocacy circles, the crisis is often described as “farmer-herder clashes,” language critics say minimizes the religious dimension of the violence. Open Doors, a watchdog group, ranks Nigeria seventh on its 2025 World Watch List of countries where Christians face the most extreme danger. The organization estimates Nigeria accounts for more than 80 percent of Christian deaths worldwide.
For many Christians, faith continues under constant threat. Displaced congregations gather in makeshift shelters. Clergy preach despite knowing they could be targeted. Families share Scripture in camps to maintain hope.
“They are systematically killing the Christians in Nigeria,” Maher said on his show.
His frustration echoed what church leaders and advocates have said for years: a humanitarian crisis is unfolding, but the world has yet to respond with urgency.
