U.N. experts raise alarm over killings, abductions, and forced marriages targeting Christian and minority women and girls in Nigeria.
Newsroom (12/06/2026 Gaudium Press ) A group of United Nations human rights experts has issued a stark warning about escalating violence targeting women and girls from Christian and other religious minority communities in Nigeria, highlighting a pattern of abuse that includes killings, sexual violence, abductions, and forced marriages.
In a press release issued on June 8, the experts described the situation as “deeply troubling,” pointing to worsening conditions in northern Nigeria and the Middle Belt region. They emphasized that a “deteriorating security situation” combined with what they characterized as an “inadequate” response from civil authorities has enabled armed extremist groups to act with relative impunity.
These groups include Boko Haram, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), and radicalized Muslim herdsmen, all of whom were cited as perpetrators of widespread abuses. According to the experts, violence against Christians and other religious minorities “continues to be rampant.”
Patterns of Systematic Abuse
The U.N. experts outlined a broad range of human rights violations affecting women and girls. These include killings, sexual violence, enforced disappearances, child marriages, and forced conversions. In their statement, the experts stressed that testimonies from victims and witnesses reveal “a horrifying picture of fear, trauma, coercion, and abandonment.”
They underscored that these incidents are not isolated but form part of a “broader pattern of violence” against Christian communities. This pattern, they said, includes attacks on churches and villages, mass displacement, mob violence linked to accusations of blasphemy, and persistent insecurity affecting women and children in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps.
Particularly concerning is the vulnerability of women and girls in these camps. The experts reported cases of sexual exploitation, where individuals are coerced into sexual acts in exchange for food or humanitarian aid. Some victims reportedly conceal their Christian identity or adopt outward markers such as wearing hijabs in order to survive.
Specific Incidents Highlight Crisis
In a formal communication to the Nigerian government, the U.N. experts cited several specific cases illustrating the severity of the situation. Among them was the abduction of girls from a church in Borno state, as well as the forced conversion and marriage of a 13-year-old girl in Bauchi state.
Another incident described a brutal attack on a 16-year-old Christian girl whose hand was reportedly severed by militants after her family refused a forced marriage proposal. These cases, the experts noted, underscore the extreme forms of violence being inflicted on minority communities.
Legal and Structural Concerns
The report also points to structural and legal factors contributing to the crisis. Local interpretations of Sharia law in 12 northern states, the existence of blasphemy codes, and failures in access to civil justice were all identified as contributing to an environment where such abuses can occur and persist.
“If confirmed, these allegations may amount to serious violations of international human rights law,” the experts warned. They highlighted potential breaches of fundamental rights, including the rights to life, liberty, security, freedom of religion, and protection from torture, slavery, and trafficking.
International Response and Advocacy
Reacting to the U.N. findings, Giorgio Mazzoli, director of U.N. advocacy at ADF International, said that Christians and other religious minorities — especially women and girls — have endured “grave and systematic atrocities” at the hands of militant groups.
Mazzoli noted that the international community has, in his view, remained largely silent as the crisis has deepened. He welcomed the joint communication from multiple U.N. mechanisms as an important step toward drawing global attention to the issue and addressing its root causes, including what he described as discriminatory legal frameworks.
ADF International was among several organizations that had previously urged the U.S. State Department to redesignate Nigeria as a “country of particular concern” in the fall of 2025, citing ongoing religious persecution.
Call for Urgent Action
The June 8 statement was issued by a panel of U.N. special rapporteurs and members of the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances. The group includes experts specializing in violence against women and girls, extrajudicial killings, minority issues, and torture.
Together, they called on Nigerian authorities to take immediate and decisive action. Their recommendations include protecting at-risk populations, securing the release of abducted individuals, conducting independent investigations, prosecuting perpetrators, and ensuring justice and reparations for victims.
“Impunity for these crimes only fuels further violence,” the experts warned. “Nigerian authorities must act urgently to prevent further irreparable harm and ensure accountability for all violations.”
The statement represents one of the most pointed international warnings to date about the plight of minority women and girls in Nigeria, placing renewed pressure on both national authorities and the global community to respond.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from ACI Africa
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