BENUE, Plateau states as well as Southern Kaduna communities have been named as the top hotbeds of terrorists and jihadist killings in Nigeria in 2025 with calls on the President Bola Tinubu-led government and the international community to salvage the situation.
This was contained in a special report by the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) noting that Nigeria “is headquartering no fewer than 22 terrorist cells with links or potential links to the Islamic State.”
The report noted that from culled statistics, out of estimated the victims massacred in 2025, Benue State was the worst hit with the Yelewata massacre of June 13 to 14, that led to death of 280 persons and the Sankera massacre of April 2025.
“Plateau State came second with estimated 806 deaths including more than 300 massacred in April 2025 alone; followed by Southern Kaduna with estimated 620 deaths including dozens abducted and killed in captivity and over 40 confirmed killed in Kauru part of Southern Kaduna as well as hundreds of others killed in the past 220 days of 2025.
“Christian leaders in Southern Kaduna State are also facing government embargo or censorship since late 2024, during which the victims of armed Fulani herdsmen attacks were banned from reporting to the media, human rights groups and others against unchecked and untracked killings and abductions perpetrated by bandits.
“The state also recorded the second largest number of abductions after Niger State, with estimated 800 including the December 2, 2024 abduction of 229 persons by the jihadists near Rijana Nigerian Army base in Kachia Local Government Area of the state.
“The Igbo land South-East came fourth with estimated 615 deaths fuelled by an upsurge in rural Igbo area jihadists’ attacks and abductions and allied killings targeted at Southeasterners travelling within and outside the region.”
The Insociety report also identified Niger State as one of the worst hit states with estimated 605 deaths where Local Government Areas of Paikoro, Shiroro, Munya, Rafi, Kontagora and Suleja hinterland have been uprooted and almost overrun and wiped out with incessant abductions, killings, torture, disappearances, forced marriage, sexual harassment including child defilement, population displacement, forced migration and forced conversions.”
The organisation called on the international community to designate Nigeria as “a country of particular concern and jihadist Fulani herdsmen as entities of particular concern” particularly by the government of the United States under President Donald Trump.
“These economies and democracies must also review hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of annual humanitarian, democracy, military and development assistance to Nigeria and have them tied as a condition for further assistance to the country and its leaders, insisting that they must rise to the occasion by respecting and protecting Fundamental Human Rights to Freedom of Thought, Conscience and Religion.
“Nigerian leaders must also internationally be compelled to decisively deal with the jihadist Fulani herdsmen including holding them accountable for massacring average of 6000 persons annually,” Emeka Umeagbalasi, the Head of the Intersociety, said the report.
It was also signed by Barrister Chidinma Udegbunam, Head of Publicity, and Barrister Ogoo Obi, Deputy Head of Int’l Justice and Human Rights.
