UN experts have raised concerns over worsening violence and insecurity in Nigeria, warning that Christian women and girls are among those facing an elevated threat of killings, abduction, sexual violence and forced marriage.
The concerns were set out by five UN human rights experts in a joint letter to the Nigerian government who noted “the deteriorating security situation” in northern Nigeria and the Middle Belt, and its consequences for Christian and other religious communities, particularly women and girls.
The letter attributes much of the violence to non-state armed groups operating across the affected regions, including Boko Haram, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and Fulani herder militias.
It points to the wider vulnerability of women in Nigeria, citing that more than one in five women (21%) between the ages of 15 and 49 have suffered physical or sexual violence.
According to the letter, thousands of attacks have occurred between 2019 and 2025, killing tens of thousands of civilians, the majority of them Christians.
Several cases are highlighted, including that of a 13-year-old girl in Nabordo, Bauchi State, who was allegedly forcibly converted and married to a 15-year-old boy. According to the letter, her father's attempts to regain custody were blocked by a Sharia commission and the courts, with an appeal subsequently lodged in Jos.
Suspected Boko Haram militants reportedly abducted two daughters of a Church of Christ in Nations pastor along with other church members in Chibok Local Government Area, Borno State on 12 November 2025. Their whereabouts remain unknown, and there has been no ransom demand or update from authorities.
Another case concerns a 16-year-old Christian girl in Kaduna State whose hand was reportedly cut off on 13 December 2025 following her family’s refusal to consent to a forced marriage demanded by militants. Some suspects were subsequently arrested, while others reportedly escaped.
An adult Christian woman was abducted shortly after her wedding in 2025 and allegedly sexually assaulted while in captivity. She was later released but reportedly experienced stigma within her community after subsequently giving birth to a child with developmental delays.
The letter expresses “grave concern” over the alleged abduction and sexual assault of girls, as well as cases involving forced marriage and forced conversion.
The experts added that they were “very alarmed” by the attempted forced marriage and violent attack on another girl, and “disturbed by reports of the inaction and complicity of government officials in the face of these abuses, the slowness of investigations and search actions aimed at determining the fate and whereabouts of abducted girls”.
Alongside these cases, the experts referred to a broader pattern of attacks on Christian villages in Borno State and highlighted a series of recent incidents across the country.
These included an attack in Jos North, Plateau State, on 29 March which reportedly killed at least 27 people, further attacks in Plateau State in early May, and the mass abduction of pupils and teachers from schools in Oyo State on 15 May.
The communication also draws attention to the plight of Nigeria’s internally displaced population, estimated at around 3.5 million people.
Women and girls living in displacement camps were reported to face inadequate access to healthcare, including maternal care, alongside an increased risk of sexual exploitation.
An internally displaced Christian woman from Mangu Local Government Area in Plateau State described the conditions faced during attacks, saying: “Women delivered in the rain during attacks and some of the children died. No food for the women, some don’t know where their husbands are.”
Some girls have reportedly been pressured into exchanging sex for basic necessities.
The letter reports that Christian women in some areas conceal their religious identity or wear hijabs “to protect themselves and gain acceptance in the community”.
The experts said the broader security crisis had particularly serious consequences for Christians and other religious minorities, stating that “reports point to Christians in Nigeria being particularly targeted”.
They said 3,490 of the 4,849 Christians reportedly “killed for their faith worldwide in 2025” were killed in Nigeria, accounting for around 72% of the global total.
The letter also raised concerns about the operation of Sharia law in 12 northern states and its impact on non-Muslims and people who leave Islam.
Particular attention was drawn to blasphemy-related provisions under both federal and state law, including Section 204 of the Nigerian Criminal Code and provisions in state-level penal codes.
The experts warned that blasphemy allegations, including false claims, have contributed to mob attacks and killings targeting religious minorities, particularly Christians.
The UN experts said Nigeria's insecurity was in some instances being worsened by “societal and institutional complicity, acquiescence or negligence”.
They said that several previous UN communications to Nigeria from 2020 to 2023 have gone unanswered, stating: “We note with concern that no reply has been received to date.”
The latest letter asks the Nigerian government to respond to eight areas of concern, including the status of investigations into the cases raised, efforts to locate abductees, measures to tackle violence against women and girls, humanitarian access, the status of blasphemy-related laws, and steps being taken to protect religious minorities.
The experts urged authorities to take interim measures to safeguard victims and prevent further violations while investigations are carried out.
The communication cited Nigeria's obligations under a range of international human rights agreements and stressed the state’s responsibility to prevent, investigate and prosecute human rights abuses committed by non-state actors.
Giorgio Mazzoli, director of UN advocacy at the Alliance Defending Freedom International (ADF), welcomed the intervention: “As armed militant groups continue to terrorise communities across large parts of Nigeria, Christians, religious minorities and especially women and girls face a heightened risk of brutal attacks and other human rights violations. The joint communication from five UN mechanisms brings much-needed international attention to the scale of the atrocities currently being perpetrated.”
He continued: “The UN experts’ letter rightly notes how failures within state institutions and the lack of decisive action have deepened the current insecurity. Nigerian authorities must act urgently on these findings, and reform the legal frameworks that enable and exacerbate discrimination against Christians and other religious minorities.”
The publication of the UN communication comes shortly after a Federal High Court ruling restricting the power of Islamic religious police in Kano State to act against a woman who converted from Islam to Christianity.
The case involved a 22-year-old woman who ran away from home in 2025 following alleged mistreatment by older siblings seeking to arrange a marriage against her will, according to ADF, which supported her legal case.
The woman subsequently stayed with a Christian family and converted to Christianity.
Her siblings later involved Kano’s Hisbah religious police, resulting in her arrest.
During her four days in detention, she reportedly faced physical abuse and demands to agree to the marriage.
After her release, the Christian family helped her move to Jos amid concerns for her safety.
The woman subsequently brought a fundamental rights case against the authorities. In May, the Federal High Court ruled that Kano State and the Hisbah could not pursue her arrest because she had converted or refused to marry.
The court described the treatment she had received as a “flagrant violation” of her rights to human dignity and freedom of religion and ordered compensation.
However, the Christian family that assisted the woman continues to face criminal proceedings after being accused by her relatives of kidnapping her.
The family denies the allegation and remains on bail while the case continues.
The woman told ADF: “The Abara family kept me safe in a time when I had nowhere else to go. I am grateful to them especially for introducing me to the Gospel. It is not against the law for me to choose my faith in Jesus. I am thankful the court has recognized my freedom to become a Christian and that I am now protected from the religious police.”
Senior counsel for global religious freedom at ADF, Sean Nelson, remarked: “No one should be coerced to leave their faith, and certainly no Christian should ever be threatened by Islamic morality police. The court’s ruling in Sarah’s case affirms that the Hisbah police have no jurisdiction over Christians or other non-Muslims.
“The state should never seek to punish someone for peacefully practicing their faith or helping others live out their faith safely … We hope Sarah’s case will serve in countering the expansion of Hisbah jurisdiction, will help to free the Abaras who should have all charges dropped against them immediately, and will lead to the affirmation of religious freedom for all in Nigeria, regardless of their chosen faith.”
ADF has been involved in several other religious freedom cases in Nigeria. These include the case of Rhoda Jatau, a Christian mother who spent 19 months in detention after being accused of sharing material deemed blasphemous before being acquitted in December 2024.
ADF is also supporting Sufi musician Yahaya Sharif-Aminu, who was previously sentenced to death after a WhatsApp message was judged to be blasphemous. He has now spent more than five years in prison, while his case remains before Nigeria's Supreme Court.
Nigeria’s treatment of religious minorities has attracted growing international scrutiny in recent years.
In October 2025, the United States recategorised the country as a “Country of Particular Concern” over religious freedom, following calls from ADF International and other human rights organisations. It followed targeted military attacks by the US last December in response to ongoing violence against Christians.
Earlier this year, Genocide Watch and the Alliance Against Genocide urged the UN to investigate what they described as a “genocide by attrition”, alleging that jihadist groups have killed more than 60,000 people and displaced over 2.2 million since 2001.
