Headline Roundup • September 29th, 2025
Over 7,000 Christians Reportedly Killed in Nigeria in 2025, Bill Maher Criticizes Lack of Coverage
Summary from the AllSides News Team
Over 7,000 Christians were killed in Nigeria during the first 220 days of 2025, according to the Nigeria-based NGO International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law (Intersociety).
The Details: Intersociety’s report also said that 7,800 were abducted during the same period. On September 11, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) introduced a bill that directs the federal government to sanction the Nigerian government and officials “who facilitate Islamist jihadist violence and the imposition of blasphemy laws” against non-Muslim Nigerians. The Nigerian government has reportedly denied that terror groups in the country are conducting a systematic genocide against Christians.
For Context: Intersociety estimates violence in Nigeria has displaced at least 12 million Christians since 2009, the year jihadist group Boko Haram began its insurgency in the country. During this time, Intersociety says 189,000 civilians have been killed, including 125,000 Christians and 60,000 liberal Muslims. The NGO’s site says it is “‘not-for-profit’ oriented and does not receive budgets and stolen public funds from any Government or its department or ministry.” It adds, “In addition to our expertly pulled ‘in-kind resources’, we solicit for and receive donations, if given, from public spirited persons or group of persons.”
How The Media Covered It: AllSides has found little coverage of the alleged genocide from mainstream Western media since the beginning of the year. In recent weeks, Newsweek (Center bias) and The Free Press (Lean Right) have published coverage. The Center Square (Lean Right) covered Cruz’s bill a few days after it was introduced. A few outlets, including Fox News (Right), The Daily Wire (Right), and Mediaite (Lean Left), covered commentator Bill Maher’s (Lean Left) reaction to the lack of media coverage. Maher said on his Friday night program “If you don’t know what’s going on in Nigeria, your media sources suck.” He added that media ignored the story “because the Jews aren’t involved. That’s why. It’s the Christians and the Muslims, who cares.”
Written by the AllSides staff (of humans). Learn more. Support our mission.
Featured Coverage of this Story
Comedian and pundit Bill Maher griped that the slaughter of Christians in Nigeria isn’t getting covered because “the Jews aren’t involved!”
On Friday night’s edition of HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher, the interview guest was Aiden Walker, content creator, internet culture researcher, and author of the Substack newsletter “How To Do Things With Memes.”
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AP
More than 7,000 Christians had been killed in Nigeria during the first 220 days of 2025, a civil-society watchdog said.
This is an average of 35 killings a day, according to the recent report published by the Nigeria-based human-rights NGO International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law (Intersociety).
It has been a harrowing year for Christians in Nigeria.
On June 13 in Yelwata, Nigeria, an Islamist militia murdered over 200 Christians in a brutal rampage before setting their homes on fire—leaving many bodies burned beyond recognition. Just before Easter, militants slaughtered 170 in the counties of Ukum and Logo.
