Federal Government Refutes Claims Of Religious Genocide In Nigeria

The Federal Government has firmly denied caller allegations circulating connected immoderate planetary platforms and societal media channels, which claimed that violent groups successful Nigeria were carrying retired a systematic genocide against Christians.

In a connection issued to journalists connected Sunday successful Abuja, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Muhammed Idris, said the authorities described the claims arsenic “false, baseless, despicable, and divisive,” insisting that specified narratives misrepresent the country’s analyzable information challenges and hazard inflaming spiritual tensions.

Idris stressed that framing coercion successful Nigeria arsenic a religiously targeted run was not lone inaccurate but besides dangerous.

“Portraying Nigeria’s information challenges arsenic a targeted run against a azygous spiritual radical oversimplifies a multifaceted situation. It plays into the hands of terrorists and criminals who question to disagreement Nigerians on spiritual oregon taste lines,” helium said.

According to the Minister, convulsive extremism successful Nigeria affects citizens crossed each spiritual and taste backgrounds. Both Muslims and Christians—as good arsenic non-religious individuals—have been victims of coercion and banditry.

He stated that betwixt May 2023 and February 2025, implicit 13,543 terrorists and criminals were neutralised successful associated subject operations, portion astir 10,000 hostages were rescued crossed the country.

He added that successful a caller large breakthrough, information forces captured the apical enactment of Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina fi-Biladis Sudan (ANSARU)—an Al-Qaeda-affiliated panic radical operating successful Nigeria.

“Among those arrested were the group’s self-styled Emir, Mahmud Muhammad Usman (aka Abu Bara’a), and his deputy, Mahmud al-Nigeri (aka Mallam Mamuda),” helium said.

“These feats show the occurrence of our equipped forces and antagonistic immoderate claims that Nigeria is passively tolerating terrorism,” helium added.

He further emphasised Nigeria’s committedness to accountability and the regularisation of law, highlighting that respective subject tribunal martials and prosecutions person been conducted to punish misconduct wrong the information agencies.

On spiritual diversity, helium reaffirmed Nigeria’s presumption arsenic a multi-religious nation, location to 1 of the world’s largest Muslim populations and a vibrant Christian community, which includes immoderate of the largest Pentecostal and Anglican congregations globally.

“Christianity is neither endangered nor marginalized successful Nigeria,” helium added, noting that the existent heads of some the Armed Forces and the Police Force are Christians—an illustration of inclusive nationalist leadership.

He besides noted advancement successful the prosecution of coercion cases, revealing that implicit 700 convictions person been secured crossed 7 rounds of trials of Boko Haram suspects, with an eighth prosecution rhythm already underway.

Highlighting Nigeria’s increasing relation successful planetary peacebuilding, helium cited the Commonwealth Peace Prize, awarded earlier this twelvemonth to 2 Nigerian spiritual leaders—Rev. Dr. James Movel Wuye and Imam Dr. Muhammad Nurayn Ashafa—for their decades-long efforts successful promoting interfaith dialog and reconciliation.

The Minister urged planetary media, quality rights organizations, and commentators to study responsibly and debar sensationalism that could undermine nationalist unity.

“The Nigerian communicative is not 1 of spiritual genocide. It is simply a communicative of resilience, diversity, and a globally acknowledged committedness to peaceful coexistence,” helium stated.