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A new six-year investigation by the Observatory for Religious Freedom in Africa has revealed that 79,323 people were killed in terrorism-related violence in Nigeria between 2020 and 2025, while 34,773 civilians were abducted during the same period.
The findings were unveiled in Jos on Tuesday in a report titled “Four Times Boko Haram? How the World Misreads Nigeria’s Violence,” and confirmed in a statement signed by ORFA’s Senior Research Analyst, Mr Frans Vierhout.
According to the report, the scale of the violence translates to an average of seven attacks and 36 deaths every day.
It stated, “A total of 79,323 people were killed in Nigeria between 2020 and 2025 — an average of seven attacks per day. More than 42,000 of those killed were innocent civilians.”
ORFA, which monitors religious freedom, documents human rights violations and provides research to inform policy and advocacy, said its researchers spent years cross-checking attack patterns, with the findings challenging long-held assumptions about the drivers of violence in Nigeria.
According to the report, 42,033 civilians were killed during the period, while security forces and members of terrorist groups accounted for the remaining 37,290 deaths.
The investigation challenges the widespread perception that Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province are the primary perpetrators of violence in Nigeria.
According to the report, Boko Haram and ISWAP were responsible for only 12 per cent of civilian killings, with Boko Haram accounting for eight per cent and ISWAP four per cent.
It further stated that armed groups categorised as “Fulani Terror Groups” were responsible for 44 per cent of all civilian deaths, representing 18,577 killings, compared to the combined 4,941 civilian deaths attributed to Boko Haram and ISWAP.
ORFA stressed that it distinguishes between armed Fulani groups and the wider Fulani ethnic population.
The report stated, “ORFA is careful to distinguish between armed Fulani terror groups and the Fulani people as a whole, the vast majority of whom are not involved in violence.”
Vierhout said the data revealed a pattern that could no longer be ignored.
“The data makes this very difficult to ignore. We examined how killings occur, who the victims are, where attacks take place and the seasonal patterns of violence. The evidence points strongly in one direction,” he said.
He added, “Violence linked to Fulani militias is the dominant force behind Nigeria’s death toll. The Western preoccupation with Boko Haram is, at best, misleading.
“Nigeria is incubating a terror network which the outside world has yet to acknowledge.”
The report also documented 34,773 civilian abductions during the six-year period, stating that armed groups classified as “Fulani Terror Groups” and “Unidentified Terror Groups” were responsible for 43 per cent and 49 per cent of the abductions, respectively.
ORFA also highlighted what it described as a religious dimension to the violence.
According to the report, 28,551 Christians and 13,224 Muslims were killed during the review period.
It stated that, when adjusted for state population figures, Christians in affected states were killed at 4.4 times the rate of Muslims.
The report also referred to what it described as a “Captivity by Creed” pattern, based on survivor testimonies.
According to ORFA, Muslim captives generally faced lower ransom demands and less violence, while Christian captives were subjected to higher ransom demands, a greater likelihood of execution and, in the case of women, a higher risk of sexual violence.
It added that 15,932 Christians and 15,272 Muslims were abducted during the period.
The report noted, however, that Christian hostages were more likely to face prolonged negotiations, harsher treatment and execution, even after ransom payments had been made.
ORFA’s Senior Research Analyst and author of Captivity by Creed: The Religious Sorting System Nobody Talks About, Steven Kefas, said the research pointed to a consistent pattern.
“The field research reveals that a lesser value is assigned to a Christian life. From the moment of capture, Muslim and Christian hostages enter different realities. It is not about individual captors. It is a system that is consistent across multiple states, armed groups and years of survivor testimony,” he said.
The investigation also found that 75 per cent of civilians were killed during attacks on communities, many of which involved raids on farming settlements, abductions, rape and destruction of property.
ORFA said its database captured up to 60 data points for each incident, drawing from five sources, including field research, local partners, academic institutions, media and NGO reports, as well as verified social media content.
The organisation called for a broader understanding of the crisis, arguing that any effort to address insecurity in Nigeria would remain inadequate without acknowledging its religious dimensions.
“They urge recognition that, without a full accounting of the religious dimensions of violence in Nigeria, attempts to find lasting solutions will remain incomplete,” the statement read.
The full ORFA 2026 six-year study is available on the organisation’s website.
