Fr Sam Ebute buried 21 of his parishioners after bandits attacked Kukum Daji village. He is pictured here standing in front of the victims’ shoes. (Photo: Aid to the Church in Need)
A coalition of Christian and human rights organisations has called on the UK government to use President Bola Tinubu’s state visit to Britain to press for stronger protections for Christians and other vulnerable communities in Nigeria, amid continuing concern over deadly attacks and weak accountability.
A joint appeal was sent to the UK’s Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB), David Smith MP, by groups including Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) UK, Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), Humanitarian Aid Relief Trust (HART), Peace and Social Justice UK (PSJ UK), and Open Doors.
They warned that Christian communities, especially in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, continue to bear a heavy share of the violence carried out by armed groups, bandits and other militias.
The organisations warn that the insecurity has brought repeated killings, large-scale displacement, and the devastation of homes and churches.
While acknowledging that the crisis impacts people of different faiths, they argued that Christian survivors and church leaders have consistently reported insufficient protection and a lack of justice from the Nigerian authorities, ACN said.
The appeal came as President Tinubu commenced a two-day visit to the UK, including a meeting with King Charles III at Windsor Castle – Nigeria’s first state visit to Britain since 1989.
The charities see the visit presents a rare diplomatic opportunity for Britain to press for meaningful advancements in security and accountability.
Dr Caroline Hull, national director of ACN UK, said that the charity was pleased to stand alongside other organisations in speaking up for persecuted Christians in Nigeria.
“We are all urging the government to work constructively with the Nigerian government to improve safety and security for all communities in Nigeria, and we continue to pray for those who have lost loved ones because of the appalling violence,” she said.
ACN has longstanding links with the Church in Nigeria and supports projects in several dioceses serving Christian communities impacted by conflict and persecution.
The intervention comes against a wider backdrop of deepening instability across parts of Nigeria.
Christian leaders and advocacy groups have repeatedly warned that attacks in several regions have continued with devastating consequences, particularly in rural communities where security is weak and armed groups operate with relative impunity.
Yet alongside these warnings, church leaders in the north-east have also described signs of remarkable resilience.
In Maiduguri Diocese, in Borno State, bishops have said Catholic congregations are growing again despite more than a decade of terror linked to Boko Haram.
According to local clergy, many believers who fled violence are now returning, and churches are seeing rising numbers at Mass, baptisms, weddings and other sacramental celebrations.
That revival is especially striking given the scale of devastation previously suffered in the region.
Boko Haram’s insurgency, which began in 2009, is estimated to have killed around 20,000 people and displaced more than two million.
In Maiduguri alone, church leaders have said tens of thousands of Christians were forced to flee, more than a thousand were killed and hundreds of churches were destroyed.
Even so, bishops there say the faith of many Christians has endured.
Places such as the Whuabazhi Pilgrimage Centre, supported by ACN, have become symbols of renewal, drawing large crowds and offering spiritual encouragement after years of trauma.
Elsewhere, however, the picture remains bleak.
In parts of central and northern Nigeria, clergy have reported fresh attacks, deaths and further displacement.
Some church leaders have warned that insecurity continues to cast a shadow over daily life, with abductions and killings being an all too familiar reality.
Those concerns have also been echoed by persecution watchdogs.
Recent reports from Release International have described Nigeria as the deadliest country in the world for Christians, with estimates of those killed for their faith in 2025 ranging from 3,000 to 7,000.
Some campaigners fear the toll could rise further unless more decisive action is taken against jihadist groups and criminal gangs.
