by Obianuju Mbah, Christian Today
A memorandum has been submitted to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief, alleging that escalating violence against Christians and moderate Muslims in the country amounts to genocide.
The submission urges the UN to investigate systematic religiously motivated violence carried out by jihadist groups across parts of Nigeria.
It was prepared by Genocide Watch and the Alliance Against Genocide, and addressed to UN Special Rapporteur Nazila Ghanea.
The organisations claim militant groups including Boko Haram, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), Fulani jihadist militias and Lakurawa have collectively killed more than 60,000 people and uprooted over 2.2 million people from their homes since 2001, targeting churches, Christian villages, schools and civilians in the country’s Middle Belt and northern regions.
According to the memorandum, the violence has intensified in recent years, with attacks reportedly increasing throughout 2025 and 2026.
It further alleges that some elements within Nigeria’s security forces have failed to intervene during attacks on Christian communities and accuses sections of the political and military establishment of complicity.
“There is strong evidence that Fulani, Hausa, and other Muslim Generals in the Nigerian Army are intentionally preventing their troops from intervening to stop massacres of Christian villages until the killing is finished,” the report stated.
The memorandum also claims that some jihadist groups have received financial backing from Fulani cattle owners seeking expanded grazing land, including individuals reportedly linked to the military and political elite such as former Nigerian president and president of the Fulani Cattlemen’s Association, Muhammadu Buhari.
It states that kidnapping for ransom has also become a major source of funding for armed groups.