NIGERIA: FG Dismisses Claims Of Religious Genocide, Reaffirms Commitment To National Security

By Onoja Baba, Nigeria 

The Federal Government has strongly dismissed allegations circulating on some international platforms and online spaces that terrorists in Nigeria are carrying out a systematic genocide against Christians.

In a statement issued on Sunday by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, the government described the claims as “false, baseless, despicable, and divisive”, stressing that such portrayals grossly misrepresent Nigeria’s security realities.

“The violent activities of terrorist groups are not confined to any particular religious or ethnic community. These criminals target all who reject their murderous ideology, regardless of faith,” Idris said.

According to the government, both Muslims and Christians have suffered attacks from terrorist groups, and presenting the crisis as religiously motivated risks fuelling division and aiding extremist propaganda.

Highlighting recent counter-terrorism successes, the government revealed that between May 2023 and February 2025, security forces neutralised over 13,543 terrorists and criminals while rescuing nearly 10,000 hostages across the country. Last month, top leaders of ANSARU, Nigeria’s Al-Qaeda affiliate, including its self-styled Emir Mahmud Muhammad Usman and his deputy Mahmud al-Nigeri, were captured in a coordinated operation.

The statement also noted Nigeria’s progress in prosecuting insurgents, with over 700 Boko Haram suspects convicted in seven batches of trials, and an eighth cycle underway.

Reaffirming Nigeria’s multi-religious identity, the Minister dismissed the notion of Christian persecution. He pointed out that both the Armed Forces and Police are currently led by Christian officers, and that the country remains home to some of the world’s largest Muslim and Christian congregations.

“The Nigerian story is not one of religious genocide or persecution. Rather, it is a story of resilience, diversity, and a globally acknowledged commitment to peaceful coexistence,” the Minister said, citing the recent Commonwealth Peace Prize awarded to Nigerian interfaith leaders Rev. Dr James Movel Wuye and Imam Dr Muhammad Nurayn Ashafa as proof of the nation’s track record in fostering religious harmony.

Idris urged the international media and commentators to refrain from sensationalism and divisive rhetoric, and instead support Nigeria’s ongoing fight against terrorism and criminality under the administration of President Bola Tinubu.