By BONIFACE AKARAH

At least 136 Christians were killed during the 2026 Easter period, including 102 deaths recorded during Holy Week and 34 on Easter Sunday, according to the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety).

The group said the incidents occurred across multiple states, including Borno, Kaduna, Plateau, Nasarawa and Benue.

Citing eyewitness accounts, the report stated that “no fewer than 13 Christians were killed and 24 injured in a Boko Haram roadside bombing along Pulka-Ngoshe Road” on March 28.

It added that “not less than 21 Christians were killed… in Kautikari Christian community of Chibok” on March 30, while 13 wedding guests were reportedly killed in Southern Kaduna on March 29.

The report further claimed that “not less than 40 Christians were slaughtered… near Jos in Plateau State” the same day, with a separate figure of 53 deaths attributed to a U.S. lawmaker.

On Easter Sunday, the organisation said “no fewer than 34 Christians were hacked to death,” including 17 in Benue and 15 in Kaduna.

It also reported coordinated attacks on churches, stating that “the First ECWA Church and St Augustine Catholic Church were attacked and seven Christians were instantly killed,” with additional bodies later recovered.

According to the report, several communities were also attacked, with homes burnt and residents displaced, including “estimated 2,500 local Christians” forced to flee in Nasarawa State.

The organisation said the attacks extended to abductions, noting that “dozens of others” were taken during Easter assaults, with some later rescued by security forces.

•A Nigerian Red Cross vehicle arrives at the scene of an attack, the morning after gunmen killed multiple people in an overnight attack in Angwan Rukuba

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