According to Christian leaders in Niger State, the number of Christians in the state is estimated to be 3.42 million, or 45.7% of the total population. They cite displacement and instability as reasons why the distribution of Christian communities has changed.
At a news conference on Sunday in Minna, the leaders of Nigeria Christian Youths in Politics and the Christians Statistics Committee stated their stance.
Speaking to reporters with other executives, including the secretary, the committee’s chairman, Deacon Marcus Salka, stated that the organization was working to rectify what it called erroneous estimates of the Christian population, especially those that were making the rounds on social media.
He claims that the 45.7% figure is an estimate based on available demographic estimates, surveys, and research because religious affiliation was not included in Nigeria’s most recent official population census.
Salka revealed that the projection was based on Niger State’s expected population of 7,478,417 in 2025, which places the Christian population at roughly 3,417,636.
He maintained that the degree of active political participation should not be used to determine the size of the Christian people.
“Just because some Christians don’t get involved in politics doesn’t mean we don’t have enough of them. He emphasised that a sizable portion of Niger State’s population is Christian.
Salka further connected extended insecurity in certain areas of the state to shifts in the distribution of Christian groups.
The group chairman named Shiroro, Munya, Paikoro, Rafi, Wushishi, and Magama in particular, claiming that attacks have resulted in fatalities and the eviction of locals from areas with sizable Christian populations.
He described the development as a factor that had impacted the demographic distribution of Christians, claiming that some had been slain and others had been forced to relocate.
“The majority of our people were killed and others relocated after the ongoing insecurity in Christian-dominated local government areas, especially Shiroro, Munya, Paikoro, Rafi, Wushishi, Magama, and others,” he stated.
He further claimed that the relocation was a part of a planned effort to lower the proportion of Christians in the impacted areas.
According to the group, Christians were still present in the state’s rural and urban areas despite the displacement.
Population statistics
Salka also mentioned Niger State’s 2006 census population of 3,950,249, which included 1,917,524 females and 2,032,725 males.
Citing the state estimate of 7,478,417 in 2025—3,790,197 males and 3,688,220 females—he claimed that the population had grown significantly.
According to the chairman, Catholic, Anglican, Methodist, Baptist, Pentecostal, Evangelical, and African Instituted churches, among others, represent Christians in the state’s 25 local government districts.
The Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria, Christian Council of Nigeria, Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, Organization of African Instituted Churches, TEKAN, and ECWA-related fellowships were among the Christian blocs that the organization recognised.
According to Salka, the group’s estimate of Christians was 45.7%, while the estimates for the other two major religious groups were roughly 46.1% and 8.2%.
He emphasised that the number was not a religion breakdown from an official national census, but rather an approximation.
The group declared that it would keep contesting what it believes to be false portrayals of Niger State’s Christian community.