Over 80 Northern Communities Under ISWAP Control

The Christian Rights Agenda has raised an urgent alarm over the growing threat of terrorism in Northern Nigeria, revealing that more than 80 communities across Benue, Plateau, and Borno states have fallen under the control of Islamic State West Africa Province fighters.

Reverend Kallamu Musa Dikwa, the group’s Secretary-General, said the occupation was part of a calculated plan to spread fear, fuel religious intolerance, and destabilize the region. Amid the worsening crisis, UNICEF has pledged to continue delivering vaccines and humanitarian support to displaced residents, despite the rising insecurity.

In a report issued on April 27, 2025, the Christian Rights Agenda stated that ISWAP, a faction that broke away from Boko Haram, has intensified its violent campaigns aimed at displacing Christian communities and enforcing extremist rule. The attacks have heavily affected several rural areas in Borno State, which has long been a hotspot for insurgent activities. Benue and Plateau states, located in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, have also come under serious threat, where the presence of armed groups has deepened longstanding tensions between farmers and herders.

According to the group, field teams sent to monitor the situation found widespread devastation in the affected areas. Thousands of mostly Christian residents have been forced to flee, adding to the growing number of internally displaced persons in Nigeria, a population where children make up almost 60 percent. The insurgents’ activities have not only resulted in the loss of lives and destruction of homes, churches, and farmland, but have also severely disrupted the livelihoods of farmers, raising fears of worsening food insecurity across the region.

The Christian Rights Agenda is currently building a detailed database of the attacks and plans to present its findings to the international community to draw attention to what it describes as the increasing persecution of Christians in Northern Nigeria. The group has warned that if urgent steps are not taken to counter the insurgents, even more communities risk falling under terrorist control, threatening to further destabilize the country.