ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- The International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) has strongly condemned the killing of over 200 moderate Muslims and scores of Christians by Islamic jihadists in parts of Kwara, Katsina and Taraba states, accusing the Nigerian government and sections of the media of downplaying or ignoring the attacks.
In a statement issued in Onitsha on Friday, Intersociety said the latest violence, which began on February 3, 2026, targeted two communities in Kwara State and southern Katsina, where most of the victims were non-violent Muslims who reportedly resisted radical indoctrination, alongside Christian residents.
The statement was signed by the Head, International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law, Intersociety, Emeka Umeagbalasi
The group said its investigations, including reports from local Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) leaders, confirmed that Christians were also among those killed in the attacks, noting that southern Katsina hosts significant indigenous Christian populations.
Intersociety also condemned what it described as the silence surrounding the killing of no fewer than 70 Christians and attacks on dozens of churches in Chanchanji communities of Taraba State since February 1, during which a pastor was reportedly killed and several houses destroyed, leaving thousands displaced.
READ ALSO 113 Christians Killed, 135 Abducted Nationwide – Intersociety
According to the organisation, the pattern of selective reportage where killings of Muslims receive prominent attention while attacks on Christians are downplayed or framed as communal clashes amounts to cultural violence and fuels religious persecution.
The group released the names of 60 victims allegedly killed in Chanchanji, Taraba State, describing the attacks as part of a wider pattern of religiously motivated violence that has persisted in Nigeria since 2015.
Intersociety accused successive Nigerian governments of gross incompetence and complicity, alleging failure to uphold constitutional provisions guaranteeing religious freedom and the country’s secular status.
The organisation said Nigeria is in breach of both domestic and international human rights obligations, including the 1999 Constitution, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
It further alleged that both state and non-state actors are involved in religious persecution in Nigeria, warning that continued failure to identify, arrest and prosecute perpetrators undermines national security and justice.
Intersociety reaffirmed its commitment to defending the sanctity of human life, stressing that all victims regardless of religious or ethnic background deserve equal protection under the law.