The German bishops’ international aid agency has begun a reassessment of the causes of violence previously attributed to tensions between farming and grazing communities.
A Catholic church in southeast Nigeria burned down in an arson attack that observers said reflected an escalating security crisis affecting Christians in particular.
Attackers set fire to St Mary’s Church in Irruan, in the Boki Local Government Area, in the early hours of 26 February. The fire caused serious damage to the building and destroyed the tabernacle, sacred vessels and two parish vehicles.
“Those who have committed this atrocious act will not go unpunished,” said Bishop Donatus Edet Akpan of Ogoja during a visit to the parish community on 1 March.
In a statement from its plenary on 27 February, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigerian said: “We continue to experience tragic events of senseless massacre, mass burials, endless tears and grief.”
It continued: “There are incidents of mass murders in different communities, particularly in Woro and Nuku villages in Kwara State, where over 200 people, both Christians and Muslims, were gruesomely massacred by scores of Islamist jihadists for refusing to embrace fundamentalist Islam. Most recently, in many parts of the country, particularly in the Northern region and the Middle Belt, there are cases of attacks and mass killings involving many students, pupils and worshippers.”
The International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law – a Christian advocacy group known as Intersociety – published a report describing recent violence as a “Tsunamic [of] Islamic Jihadism in Nigeria’s Six Regions”.
It said at least 7,500 Christians were killed and 8,500 abducted across Nigeria in 2025, with the violence continuing into 2026. The first 55 days of the year saw 620 Christians and 500 Muslims killed, while 1,640 people were abducted.
“The statistics are staggering, but they don’t tell the whole story,” commented Julia Krojer, an official with Misereor, the German Catholic bishops’ international development agency, which has reportedly begun a reassessment of the causes of violence sometimes attributed to tensions between farming and grazing communities.
“What we’re seeing now involves additional, unidentified actors and interests,” said Krojer, who runs Misereor activities in Nigeria.
“The violence is driven by more complex forces, making it crucial to understand who the ‘real actors’ are before effective solutions can be designed.”
Misereor now emphasises community-led solutions that position local populations as the primary agents of change. This includes trauma-sensitive programming for internally displaced persons (IDPs) who have repeatedly fled violence, helping them build resilience to rebuild their lives.
