At least 250 people, predominantly Christians, were killed in Benue, Plateau, and Southern Kaduna during July 2026, according to reports. The killings followed six months of sustained violence in Nigeria and indicated no end in sight to the slaughter United States President Donald Trump had declared over.
According to the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety), an estimated 2,550 Christians were killed and another 2,800 abducted across Nigeria between January and June 2026. During the same period, 1,050 Muslims were killed and 1,150 abducted. The report also states that approximately 300 churches were destroyed or abandoned, 10 Christian pastors were killed, another 10 were abducted, and around 800 Christian women and children were forcibly converted to Islam while in captivity.
Since then, the violence has continued unabated. In an overnight attack on 27 July, suspected Fulani Islamist militia attacked Naridon (Kizakoro) village in Kauru Local Government Area of Kaduna State. Thirty people were killed, including 22 members of the same family. Seven others were injured, while two homes and three shops were destroyed.
Government response found wanting
As in previous attacks, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu responded by directing security agencies to act. He announced that he had “directed the Armed Forces, the Nigeria Police Force and relevant intelligence agencies to intensify operations across the affected areas to swiftly apprehend the perpetrators, secure the release of abducted persons and restore normalcy to the community”.
However, many local leaders argue that official responses remain largely reactive.
In an open letter dated 27 July to the Kaduna State Commissioner of Police, copied to Governor Uba Sani, the Southern Kaduna People’s Union (SOKAPU) insisted that, “The current incidents of violence demand a sharp departure from reactive responses to aggressive and proactive law enforcement.”
‘Targeted’ attack on Christian leader
Plateau State also has experienced repeated attacks throughout 2026. On 11 July, nine members of the extended family of Reverend Ezekiel Dachomo were killed in what was described as a targeted attack.
Rev. Dachomo has become one of Nigeria’s most outspoken Christian leaders, drawing international attention to the growing number of mass graves following attacks on Christian communities in Plateau State. His advocacy reportedly reached President Trump, but it has also resulted in death threats from radical Islamist groups.
Speaking after the killings, Dachomo said, “The people that came here knew that I have connections with these people.”
Addressing those responsible, he added, “The people that came and killed my siblings, I have forgiven you. From my heart I have forgiven you.
The American response
On 23 July, US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Frank Garcia condemned the killings, extending “our deepest condolences to the victims’ families and all those affected”.
Garcia added that the United States remained committed to working with the Nigerian government “to combat terrorism, counter violent extremism, and ensure that Christians and all Nigerians can live and practice their faith freely without fear of violence or persecution”.
For many Nigerian Christians, however, the statement fell well short of the stronger rhetoric previously used by President Trump.
In November 2025, Trump warned, “If the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the USA will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria and may very well go into that now disgraced country, ‘guns-a-blazing,’ to completely wipe out the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities.”
Although the United States deployed 200 troops to northeastern Nigeria to support operations against Boko Haram, those forces were withdrawn in June 2026 despite continuing attacks on military installations, communities, and civilians, including an assault on Ngoshe in Borno State.
In explanation, General Dagvin Anderson of US Africa Command (AFRICOM) said, “We have withdrawn much of our forces that were just there for that operation,” while stressing that the United States would continue intelligence sharing and other forms of security cooperation requested by Nigeria.
On 26 June, Trump suddenly declared the attacks on Christian communities over. “We recently struck Nigeria and largely ended the slaughter of great Christian populations.”
He then wrote to President Tinubu on 6 July praising his “decisive leadership” and commending his efforts to address “the violence affecting Christian communities”.
Geopolitical interests influence US approach
Trump’s assessment was disputed by Joseph Hayab, Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) for the 19 northern states and the Federal Capital Territory. “The right people who should tell whether Trump has succeeded should be Nigerian Christians or Northern Christians, not Trump himself.”
Some analysts attribute Washington’s restrained approach to successful lobbying efforts by the Nigerian government aimed at reshaping international perceptions of the crisis.
Cheta Nwanze, CEO of Nigerian risk advisory firm SBM Intelligence, argues that broader geopolitical interests also influence US policy. Because Nigeria possesses tens of billions of barrels of oil reserves and remains Africa’s largest oil producer, he says, counterterrorism cooperation also serves strategic energy interests.
According to Nwanze, “the counterterrorism framing is genuine but convenient because it provides cover for interventions that also serve resource security objectives”.
Any hope for persecuted Christians?
In mid-July, Representatives Riley Moore of West Virginia and Jeff Steube of Florida introduced a bill in the US House of Representatives calling for foreign governments and “bad actors” to be held accountable for the persecution of people of faith.
The measure passed by a narrow 217-209 margin and proposes reducing US assistance to Nigeria until effective action is taken to protect Christian communities affected by religious violence. Whether the proposal will result in meaningful policy changes remains uncertain.
Meanwhile, many Nigerian Christians continue to express steadfast faith despite the violence they face. Longdi ThankGod, 22, was in a birthing clinic in Plateau State when it was attacked by Fulani militants on 21 June. Her husband and four members of his family were killed. Yet, ThankGod named her baby girl Na’anbammun, which means “God saved us”,
Frustration leads to calls for self-defence
At the same time, frustration with the government’s inability to provide security has led to increasing calls for lawful self-defence.
CAN has urged Christians to organise for their own protection. “Unless and until all of us start organising ourselves to chase those who have been chasing us, they will torment us for the next 200 years, Joseph Hayab said.
Retired Brigadier General John Sura has also argued that Nigerians have the legal right to defend themselves.
For many Christians in Nigeria, the question is no longer whether the violence will continue, but whether the Nigerian government or its international partners will adopt measures capable of stopping it.
