UN raises alarm over violence against Christians, minorities in Nigeria

The UN Human Rights Office has raised alarm over killings, abductions, sexual violence and forced conversions targeting Christians and religious minorities in northern Nigeria and the Middle Belt. Armed groups operate with impunity, causing widespread fear and trauma. Specific incidents include disappearances of girls from a church in Borno State, forced conversions and child marriages in Bauchi State, and an attack on a 16-year-old girl whose hand was severed after her family rejected a forced marriage proposal. The UN urges Nigerian authorities to protect communities and prosecute perpetrators.