UN Envoy Warns of Growing Insecurity in Nigeria

Michael Olugbode in Abuja

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief, Nazila Ghanea, has voiced new concerns about Nigeria’s escalating security crisis. She said that repeated killings, mass displacements and a lack of justice have led many victims to view their suffering as persecution and even genocide.

At the conclusion of an 11‑day official visit to Nigeria, Ghanea presented her preliminary findings, describing a bleak reality in which communities are trapped in endless cycles of violence. Villages are razed, livelihoods destroyed, and survivors are repeatedly displaced with little hope of justice or return.

Although her mission focused on freedom of thought, conscience and religion, almost every engagement across the country was dominated by stories of insecurity, killings and fears that authorities cannot adequately protect lives and property.

She said the violence has moved beyond isolated incidents to become a widespread national emergency affecting many parts of the country.

The UN envoy disclosed that communities described horrifying experiences, including mass arson attacks that forced survivors into internally displaced persons’ camps with no prospects of returning to their homes or farms.

She said in some rural communities bandits had allegedly compelled residents into so‑called peace agreements under which communities surrendered farmlands and produce, and in some instances women were reportedly taken at will by the attackers.

Ghanea noted that impunity and a lack of accountability have entrenched the violence and encouraged its spread, with many communities repeatedly experiencing killings and destruction while perpetrators escape justice.

“When everything in one’s world has been reduced to dust, when religious leaders have been killed and places of worship destroyed and when one has seen no action or inadequate prevention and justice from the authorities, why would one think otherwise?” she asked.

The Special Rapporteur said some victims have been displaced multiple times over the past decade, forced to start life afresh after each attack only to witness fresh killings and destruction.

She also drew attention to the increasing frequency of attacks on schools and the abduction of children, describing such incidents as grave violations of children’s rights.

According to her, hostage‑taking has become pervasive, with priests, senior military officers, former politicians and members of their families among those kidnapped and, in some cases, killed despite the payment of huge ransoms.

The UN official said the scale of the violence and the apparent inability of the state to contain it have fueled suspicions in some quarters of possible official complicity, further eroding public trust in government institutions.

She observed that authorities often acknowledge being overwhelmed by terrorism, banditry and organised criminal networks, some of which allegedly operate across Nigeria’s borders.

The security vacuum has prompted the rise of vigilante groups, private security arrangements and community self‑help initiatives as desperate citizens seek ways to protect themselves.

Beyond insecurity, Ghanea warned that Nigeria’s complex religious and ethnic diversities are often oversimplified into a narrative of a predominantly Muslim North and Christian South, a characterisation she said obscures the country’s rich pluralism and heightens religious polarisation.

She expressed concern over the continued requirement in many administrative processes for Nigerians to declare their religion, saying such practices reinforce religion as a dominant organising principle of society and make it vulnerable to manipulation for political and economic purposes.

The UN envoy also highlighted allegations of discrimination, with some groups reporting systematic marginalisation based on religious identity, while stressing that all Nigerians, irrespective of faith or belief, deserve equal protection and enjoyment of their rights.

Despite the daunting challenges, she commended the resilience of victims, the vibrancy of Nigeria’s civil society and the efforts of interfaith organisations and community peace‑building initiatives.

She expressed confidence that Nigeria possesses the expertise and human resources necessary to safeguard freedom of religion or belief and address the drivers of insecurity, but warned that substantial work remains to be done.

Ghanea said her comprehensive report and recommendations on Nigeria will be submitted to the UN Human Rights Council in March 2027.