Nigerian human rights and advocacy groups have accused four governors of southeastern Nigeria of alleged inaction in preventing religious violence. In a report released on April 3, the International Civil Liberties Association and the Association of Legal and Governance (Inter-Society) condemned Peter Mba of Enugu, Charles Sold of Anambra, Francis Nwaiful of Ebony, and Uzodimma of Imo for hoping that “the conspiracy of silence and the Isaaji of Britain are maintained by their government.”
Intersociety, which conducts advocacy for research studies, is based on “several public reports” and its own findings.
The findings of inter-society findings show that complicity for the violation of religious freedom in Nigeria is not limited to armed radical Muslims, but extends to state and non-state actors, including sponsors, as well as some “Christian leaders and Christian politicians.”
The report alleges that governors have drastic powers and responsibility to reduce permanent attacks, but have “essentially failed” to ensure the safety and security of their territory and people. The inter-society did not take this decisive action, and people argue that “secret Islamic jihadists” have become vulnerable to attacks using cattle breeding and ranches as excuses. The Southeast region is highlighted as Nigeria’s largest Catholic and second-largest Christian region.
Furthermore, the report accused the governor and Nigerian government of allowing the jihadist Fulani herdsmen who were responsible for the deaths of 9,500 people, and perpetuating the encouraging “cemetery silence.”
The organization argues that these states are “saturated by jihadist activities” across many of the 78 local government areas, pose a major threat to “unprotected traffic justice-Christians” in the hinterlands.
The Intersociety argues that many jihadist activities under the surveillance of these governors of Anambra, Enugu, IMO, and Ebonyi are either underreporting, restraining or censoring.
“Some reports also expose indiscriminate third party land purchases for mandated men or mandated men, including government officials and appointees, indiscriminate third party land purchases for mandated men, or mandated mends, who link other people whom the state/federal government has closed to government, including government officials and appointees,” says the report signed by Chief Inter-Society Researcher Emeka Umeagbalasi and three other civil servants.
As a result, Intersociety announced plans to launch an international campaign that would pressure the mentioned state governments and governors to act urgently to urgently guide religious freedom in their respective states. Among the measures the organization is pursuing is a visa ban and an international isolation campaign against four governors targeting democratic and religious freedom advocates, such as the UK, the US, the European Union and Canada. The organization says these campaigns will also expand to the defendant governor’s nuclear families.
Additionally, the Intersociety advocates that the US government redesigns Nigeria as a “country of special concern” (CPC) for malicious violations of international religious freedom, and includes “jihadist pastors Fulani” and “jihadist Fulani bandits” on the international list of “particularly present of concern.”
The group has expressed agreement with the 2025 recommendation of the Religious Freedom Committee (USCIRF) to designate Nigeria as a CPC. However, the interface opposes the omission of the USCIRF of the jihadist Fulani herdsmen and jihadist Franin Banditz from the list of recommended terrorist groups, claiming that since 2015 it accounts for more than 75% of the abduction, disappearance, killing and destruction of more than 75% of the property, including churches and Christian schools.
The Intersociety highlights the surprising statistics of more than 145 Catholic priests who have been accused since 2015, with at least 12 people being accused in the first three months of 2025. The publication of the report comes in the same week that Fulani terrorists killed more than 60 days in Plateau Province, northern Nigeria, in what they called “genocide,” sources said.
The attack took place against seven Christian communities in Boccos County, including the village of Harty, where more than 40 Christians were killed, said community leader Maren Aradon.
“More than 1,000 Christians were exiled (with hunters) during the attack, and 383 homes were destroyed by these bandits,” Aradon told Christian Daily International Morning Star News. “These attacks began on Wednesday, April 2nd around 3pm. These armed Muslim Fulani herdsmen invaded our community in large numbers. They came on motorcycles and attacked us.”
