The National Director of Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) Australia and New Zealand, Bernard Toutounji, has criticized the Nigerian government for downplaying reports of widespread attacks on Christians across the country.
Speaking in an interview with Sky News Australia, Toutounji said the government was “saying nonsense” in response to credible reports documenting mass killings of Christians.
During the interview, host Gabriella Power cited findings by Nigerian human rights NGO International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law, which revealed that an average of 30 Christians are killed daily in Nigeria, with over 7,000 deaths recorded in 2025 alone.
The Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has repeatedly refuted such claims, describing them as “misleading and misinformed.” Toutounji, however, dismissed the government’s stance, warning the international community not to ignore the evidence.
According to him, Nigeria has become an epicenter of Christian martyrdom. “Since the year 2000, more than 60,000 Christians have been murdered by Islamic groups such as Boko Haram and heavily armed Fulani militias,” he said, citing ACN’s 2023 report.
The report noted that Christians, who make up almost half of Nigeria’s population, continue to live “as second-class citizens,” facing systemic discrimination and persecution. It also ranked Nigeria in the “red category” for religious freedom violations.
Toutounji highlighted recent violence in Benue State, where 93 villages were attacked, leaving 330 farmers killed in a year, and in June, a massacre claimed about 100 lives and displaced 4,000 people.
“This is not just about killings. It’s abductions, villages burned, properties destroyed, churches targeted. The violence is relentless, sporadic, systematic, and has gone on for decades with little accountability from the government,” he added.
Toutounji further explained that Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), a Catholic pastoral charity founded over 80 years ago, has been actively supporting Christians in Nigeria and across Africa. The organization undertakes about 6,000 projects annually, including rebuilding churches, funding safe transportation for clergy, and providing trauma healing for victims of attacks.
Report by: Praise Ekrika | Edited by: Chris Odjomah