Nigeria’s population of 220 million is split almost evenly between Christians, who live predominantly in the south, and Muslims, mostly in the north — where attacks have long been concentrated and where levels of illiteracy, poverty and hunger are among the country’s highest. Nationwide, Muslims constitute a slight majority.

In the northeast, Boko Haram jihadi extremists and, more recently, an Islamic State-backed breakaway faction have since 2009 waged an insurgency to enforce their brutal interpretation of Shariah law. In the northwest and central regions, rogue gangs attack farming communities comprised mostly of Christians.

US President Donald Trump named Nigeria a “country of particular concern” – a U.S. declaration for nations it says fail to act on religious freedom violations — and this month told defense officials to begin preparing for military action here.

The declaration followed a campaign by Republican lawmakers who say 100,000 Christians have been killed in Nigeria — a figure also cited by TV talk-show host Bill Maher.

The number now echoes among Nigeria's Christian communities, but experts say it's likely inflated.

Victims and church leaders echo Trump's claims that Christians are persecuted — they say they’ve always been attacked, kidnapped or killed because of their faith.

"If terror come to us in the name of Islam and we call terror with the name we know and people are blaming us, then I don't know what they want us to do,” said Rev. John Hayab, Christian Association Chairman, Northern Nigeria.

But many insist the reality isn't as simple as Trump's narrative, which casts Christianity as facing an “existential threat” in Nigeria.

Experts and residents say some attacks target Christians, but most emphasize that in the widespread violence that has long plagued the West African nation, everyone is a potential victim, regardless of background or belief.

Experts and data from two nonpartisan sources — the U.S.-based Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project and Council on Foreign Relations — show Christians are often targets in a small percentage of overall attacks that appear to be motivated by religion, in some northern states.

But the numbers and analysts also indicate that across the north, most victims of overall violence are Muslims.

The ACLED — which uses local news reports for its data — says 52,915 civilians have been killed in Nigeria through targeted political violence since 2009, with both Christian and Muslim victims.

“Each year, there is variation. If we look at the number of fatalities in 2025, so far there's actually been more Muslims killed in these sorts of religiously targeted attacks. But in 2024, the opposite was true, there were more Christians killed,” said Ladd Serwat, senior Africa analyst at ACLED.

The Council on Foreign Relations’ Nigeria security tracker, which also uses news reports, shows that more than 100,000 Nigerians have died in armed violence since 2011 — but that figure includes civilians and security forces, which are overstretched, outnumbered and often targeted by gangs.

Like Christians, some Muslims say they're targeted for their faith — mosques have been attacked during prayers, and worshippers inside killed or abducted. Experts say that in all cases, religious or economic motives could be at play.

Arrests in attacks are rare. The lack of law enforcement has pushed some communities into deals with gangs, allowing them to access their farmlands — a sign of growing desperation.

In June, gunmen killed at least 150 people in the Yelewata community in north-central Nigeria. Security forces arrived long after the attackers left.

When Trump threatened military intervention, Nigerian officials largely rejected the notion. But some see it as a wake-up call for a government they say has ignored them.