Nigeria’s Middle Belt has become the centre of a global debate about the persecution of Christians. Here is a guide to what is known.
Where is the Middle Belt?
The Middle Belt is the band of states across central Nigeria, including Benue, Plateau, southern Kaduna, Taraba and Nasarawa, where the largely Muslim north meets the largely Christian south. Many of its rural communities are Christian farming villages.
What is happening?
For years, armed men have attacked villages in the region, killing residents, burning homes and churches, and kidnapping people for ransom. Church groups and advocates say most victims in these attacks are Christians and that many attackers are armed Fulani herders or militias. In the north-east, the jihadist groups Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province have attacked churches and Christian communities since 2009.
Counts vary. The charity Open Doors says Nigeria accounts for most of the world’s faith-related killings of Christians. A report cited by Catholic World Report in September said more than 3,000 Christians were killed in the first eight months of 2026, and some rights groups put the number killed or abducted this year above 6,000. Displacement is huge: survivors fill camps across the region.
Why is it disputed?
Nigeria’s government rejects the term genocide. It says the country is fighting terrorism and banditry that kill both Christians and Muslims, and that clashes in the Middle Belt are also driven by competition for land and water between herders and farmers, worsened by population growth and climate pressures.
Independent analysts say Muslims have also been killed in large numbers, especially in the north-west, and that reliable breakdowns by religion are hard to produce. Christian leaders in affected areas reply that the pattern of attacks on their communities and churches shows they are being targeted for their faith.
What is the US doing?
In late 2025 the United States redesignated Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern for religious freedom violations. At a congressional hearing on 12 November 2026, US officials said Nigeria had taken some security steps but that Christians in the Middle Belt were still not safer.
How to pray
Many churches are praying for the safety of communities in Benue, Plateau and neighbouring states, for justice for victims, for the displaced, and for peace between communities.
Sources: Reuters via The Star; Catholic World Report, 8 September 2026; The National Desk; PBS NewsHour.
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Faithful Scribe is a passionate writer dedicated to exploring Christian teachings and inspiring believers to live out their faith with purpose and conviction. For more insightful articles, stay connected with Charismata News.
