The Nigerian Christian Governors and Lawmakers, along with Political Opposition Christian Leaders, have been designated “the Most Fearful and Pretentious Christians and alleged State Jihadism Amplifiers in 2025.” They feature prominently on the list of “Most Disappointing Persons, Authorities and Bodies on Religious Freedom especially those clandestinely and openly working against the Protection of Nigerian Christians in 2025.”

The list, drawn up by the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety), is contained in a statement issued by the foremost rights group in Enugu on Wednesday, January 2, 2026. The statement was signed by Intersociety’s Head, Emeka Umeagbalasi; Human Rights Lawyer/Head, Dept. of Campaign and Publicity, Chidinma Evangeline Udegbunam, Esquire; Human Rights Lawyer/Head, Civil Liberties and Rule of Law Program, Obianuju Joy Igboeli, Esquire; and Deputy Head, Int’l Justice and Human Rights, Ogochukwu Obi, Esquire.

The statement also contained a list of winners of Intersociety’s “Distinguished Persons On Religious Freedom In 2025 In Nigeria Awards”. Below are the relevant parts of the statement:

In the list of Most Disappointing Persons, Authorities and Bodies on Religious Freedom especially those clandestinely and openly working against the Protection of Nigerian Christians in 2025, the BBC’s African Section Global Disinformation Unit was designated the Most Integrity-Challenged International Media on Religious Freedom in Nigeria in 2025. Sheikh Ahmad Gumi was designated the Most Defender of Radical Islamism in Clear and Gross Breach of the Constitutional and Religious Secularism in Nigeria in 2025. Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Parolin was named Most Disappointing Holy See’s Image Maker on Christian Religious Freedom in Nigeria in 2025. The Nigerian Christian Governors and Lawmakers and Political Opposition Christian Leaders were designated the Most Fearful and Pretentious Christians and alleged State Jihadism Amplifiers in 2025. The Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen and the Jihadist Fulani Bandits emerged the Most Widespread and Atrocious and Government Friendly Islamic Terror Groups in Nigeria-accounting for more than 70% of Egregious Attacks “In Convert to Islam or Die” Campaigns against Christians and their Sacred Places of Worship in 2025. The BBC’s African Section Global Disinformation Unit was named the Most Integrity-Challenged International Media on Religious Freedom in Nigeria in 2025.

Distinguished Persons On Religious Freedom In 2025 In Nigeria Awards: Based on our collected statistics and other pieces of evidence assembled over the years or since 2009, especially those of the just ended 2025 on egregious and heinous crimes against Christians and their sacred places of worship and learning-widespread and systematically perpetrated by both state actors and non-state actors holding sway in Nigeria’s socio-cultural and political environments, the Board and Management of the InterSociety have duly considered the following internationally respected persons, authorities and bodies for distinguished awards according to their respective noble roles on the promotion and protection of Religious Freedom especially such efforts geared toward Discontinuation of Genocidal Attacks by Islamic Jihadists against Christians in Nigeria or any part thereof. The above is to the extent that despite the Dec 29 and Dec 31, 2025 Islamic jihadist attacks resulting in the loss of no fewer than 21 rural Christian lives (14 in Hong County of Adamawa State by ISWAP and seven in Vwang District of Jos South County of Plateau State by Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen), it is our firm position that not less than 600 Christian lives and dozens of churches were saved through sustained international religious freedom voicing and diplomatic pressures, likewise, effective preventive and pre-emptive measures. In our list of Distinguished Persons and their respective roles, Nigeria’s Islamic Cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi was enlisted not as a defender of Nigerian Christians but because of the bitter truth he told regarding the ongoing Convert to Islam or Die jihadist campaigns against Christians by Nigeria’s Islamic terror jihadists and their political and security establishments’ instigators, aiders and abettors-centrally aimed at obliterating Christians and erasing traces of Christianity-carefully and systematically planned in phases and stages.

President Donald Trump was therefore designated the most Distinguished Defender of Nigerian Christians in 2025, especially against the backdrop of his recent interventions that saved at least 600 Lay Christian lives and lives of dozens of priests or pastors especially during the 2025 Christmas and the 2026 New Year Periods; during which dozens of churches and Christian study centres were also spared from Jihadist attacks. The Governments of the United States and Canada were also designated the most Christian Religion Friendly and Defending Countries in 2025-especially in Nigeria. The State of Israel was delisted despite having openly declared its support for persecuted Christians in Nigeria. This is due to its poor handling of Palestinian civilians especially since the Oct 7, 2023 Islamic Jihadists’ invasion and attack.

The International Distinguished Persons, Authorities and Bodies’ Designations for supporting Nigeria’s Christian Religious Freedom in 2025 also saw the US Rep Riley Moore and Sen. Teddy Cruz designated Distinguished Defenders of Nigerian Christians in 2025, in which Catholic Bishops Anagbe of Makurdi and Onoga of Nsukka Catholic Dioceses and Pastor Dachomo Ezekiel of Plateau State and Leader of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Bishop Okoh of the Onitsha Christ Holy Church (OAIC Branch of the Christian Association of Nigeria) were designated Most Outspoken, Fearless and Uncompromised Defenders of Nigerian Christians in 2025. Controversially tried, convicted and jailed Prince Nnamdi Kanu was also designated Major Victim of Trado-Judeo-Christian Self-Defence in Nigeria in 2025 while the Sahara Reporters was named Most Fearless and Uncompromised Media in Nigeria in 2025. The Truth-Nigeria and its Juud Saul was named Most Domestically Outstanding Cracking Investigators on Killing of Christians in Nigeria’s Plateau, Benue, Taraba and Southern Kaduna in 2025 while Mike Arnold became the Most Resistant of Nigerian rooted Forbidden Fruit and Resilient International Christian Protection Campaigner for Nigerian Christians in 2025. Lawyer Emmanuel Ogebe was also named the Intersociety’s Friend of the Year (2025) on Defence of Middle-Belt and North-East Christians.

The recipients were so named or designated to encourage them to do more especially by ceaselessly beaming their advocacy, diplomatic and governmental searchlights on Nigeria’s Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen and Jihadist Fulani Bandits-the most widespread and atrocious Islamic terror groups in Nigeria-presently hiding in the forests of Christian Middle-Belt including Niger, Kwara and Kogi; and the indigenous Christian forests of the South-East, the South-South, the South-West, the North-West (Southern Kaduna and Kebbi) and the North-East especially Taraba State.

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