Abuja, Dec. 19, 2025 (SaharaReporters/NAN) – A coalition of human rights organisations, faith-based groups, and civil society actors has raised alarms over what it described as a recurring pattern of Christmas-season attacks in Northern Nigeria and the Middle Belt, warning that failure to act decisively could trigger fresh mass killings and displacement during the 2025 festive period.
In a joint statement released on Thursday, the coalition traced a grim history of Christmas-related atrocities, beginning with the 2010 twin bombings at Ungwan Rukuba and Gada Biyu in Jos, Plateau State, and the 2011 attack on St. Theresa’s Catholic Church in Madalla, Niger State, which led to large-scale displacement and long-term insecurity.
The statement also recalled the Christmas Eve 2016 attack on the Goska community in Jema’a Local Government Area of Southern Kaduna, which left around 20 people dead and forced hundreds to flee their homes.
According to the signatories, the violence has escalated in recent years. During the 2023 Christmas period, coordinated attacks across Bokkos and Barkin Ladi local government areas of Plateau State reportedly killed more than 212 people and displaced over 10,000 others. Similarly, in 2024, approximately 46 worshippers were killed in Anwase, Gboko Local Government Area of Benue State, pushing an additional 6,800 people into displacement camps, bringing the total number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the state to over 150,000.
Highlighting emerging threats ahead of Christmas 2025, the coalition cited the recent kidnapping of 20 worshippers from an ECWA church in Ayetorokiri, Bunu-Kabba, Kogi State, as evidence that attacks on faith-based communities remain a significant and ongoing risk.
“This pattern of Christmas-season mass atrocities across different parts of the Middle Belt of Nigeria needs to be addressed and prevented to drive a wedge between faith-based insecurity and domestic terrorism,” the statement said.
The coalition called on the Nigerian government to deploy adequate security forces to protect communities, churches, and travelers during the festive period, while also prioritising the welfare of internally displaced persons across affected regions.
It urged authorities to acknowledge the challenges facing displaced persons, including loss of homes and livelihoods, lack of documentation, and heightened vulnerability to further violence. The coalition recommended sustainable economic empowerment strategies to reduce protracted displacement.
The groups further demanded urgent mobilisation of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and State Emergency Management Agencies (SEMA) to provide food, water, shelter, and physical security for displaced persons. They also stressed the need for safe, voluntary, and dignified return or resettlement of displaced communities, with meaningful participation in decisions affecting their lives.
Stronger collaboration between statutory security agencies and local vigilante groups was recommended to improve intelligence gathering and community policing.
In a direct appeal to President Bola Tinubu, the coalition urged him to grant assent to domesticate the African Union Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa, known as the Kampala Convention, describing it as critical to a coordinated, rights-based response to Nigeria’s displacement crisis.
“We hope the government will urgently prioritise action in addressing the protection needs of IDPs & IDCs, prevent further incidents that could increase their numbers, and address the displacement problem in an enduring and sustainable manner,” the statement added.
The statement was signed by House of Justice, Global Rights, Atrocities Watch Africa, The Kukah Centre, Open Bar Initiative, Middle Belt Times, and several individuals including Prof. Chidi Anselm Odinkalu, Gloria Mabeiam Ballason, Abiodun Baiyewu, and Rt. Hon. Cephas Dyako.
Nigeria currently has one of the largest populations of internally displaced persons in Africa, driven largely by insurgency, banditry, and communal violence. Rights groups have repeatedly warned that seasonal spikes in attacks, particularly around religious holidays, highlight deep failures in security planning and protection of civilians.
Yetunde Kolawole ✔
Godwin Okafor is the Publisher & CEO of Naija247news Media Group LLC, an independent investigative news platform delivering accurate, data-driven reporting on Nigerian and global politics, economy, finance, and business. Founded in October 2010, Naija247news specializes in developmental journalism, providing timely insights and analysis to readers across Nigeria and the diaspora.
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