Jihadist violence struck Niger again with chilling brutality. At least 22 people were killed on September 15 during a baptism ceremony in the village of Takoubatt, in the Tillaberi region, bordering Burkina Faso and Mali.
According to Aciprensa, armed men on motorcycles burst into the celebration, opening fire indiscriminately. According to the BBC, 15 victims died at the baptism site and another seven during the attackers’ escape.
Civil rights activist Maikoul Zodi denounced on social media: “While people were celebrating a baptism ceremony, armed men opened fire, sowing death and terror.” In his message, he demanded that the government prioritize citizen security: “The dignity of Nigerians must be an absolute priority.”
The authorities confirmed the attack, although they have not yet released official victim figures. Tillaberi, the epicenter of violence, has been the scene of continuous attacks. Just five days earlier, 14 Nigerien soldiers died in an ambush in the same region.
Niger: insecurity and political crisis
The Takoubatt massacre reflects the military regime’s inability to guarantee security after the July 2023 coup d’état, when General Abdourahmane Tchiani overthrew elected President Mohamed Bazoum, promising to restore peace.
Far from fulfilling that promise, the violence is intensifying. On September 12, the coalition Cadre de Lutte contre les Dérives du Niger (CDN) was presented in Niamey, made up of civil society leaders, journalists, and jurists. The platform accused the regime of absolute failure in protecting citizens and demanded free elections, as well as the release of Bazoum and other political prisoners.
Nigeria: persecution against Christians reaches historic levels
While Niger struggles against insecurity, in neighboring Nigeria religious persecution reaches devastating figures. A report from the International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law (Intersociety), cited by Zenit, reveals that around 100 churches are attacked every month and that 32 Christians die daily at the hands of extremist groups.
Since 2009, when the jihadist group Boko Haram began its offensive, nearly 19,100 Christian temples have been destroyed, looted, or closed. “A church doesn’t close by itself,” explained Emeka Umeagbalasi, director of Intersociety. “It takes violence, intimidation, or bloodshed to empty a parish.”
In just the first 220 days of 2025, more than 7,000 Christians were killed in Nigeria. The toll since 2009 rises to 185,000 dead, of which 125,000 were Christians and 60,000 Muslims classified as “liberals.” Additionally, nearly 8,000 faithful have been kidnapped in the last 16 years.
“What happened in Constantinople is repeating in Nigeria”
Umeagbalasi warns that Nigeria risks following the same fate as other formerly Christian regions, such as Anatolia under Ottoman rule or parts of Egypt where Islamist pressure drastically reduced Christian communities: “What happened in Constantinople or Asiut is unfolding in Nigeria today. Unless urgent measures are taken, little Christianity will remain here in fifty or a hundred years.”
The human rights defender also accuses the Nigerian state of complicity in the advance of radical Islamism: “The goal is no longer to govern or reform Nigeria, but to force the nation to submit to radical ideology.”
International reactions
The magnitude of the persecution is beginning to generate reactions on the international stage. In the United States, Senator Ted Cruz introduced the Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act on September 11, which urges designating Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” and maintaining sanctions against Boko Haram and ISIS-West Africa.
“Christians are being executed for their faith, forced under sharia, and subjected to blasphemy laws,” denounced Cruz. “There must be real costs for Nigerian officials who allow these atrocities.”
For Umeagbalasi, the initiative represents a “moral boost” for persecuted communities, although he emphasizes that legislation will not be enough without sustained diplomatic, humanitarian, and security actions.