The Nigerian Government has strongly rejected recent claims by some Western commentators and lawmakers alleging an ongoing “Christian genocide” in Nigeria, describing the assertions as false, inflammatory, and a deliberate attempt to destabilise the country through religious division.
The allegations pushed by figures such as U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, CNN contributor Van Jones, and TV host Bill Maher have also been echoed in Canada’s Parliament, which recently passed a resolution branding Nigeria as “one of the most dangerous countries in the world for Christians.”
However, Nigerian officials, security analysts, and independent observers on Sunday, dismissed the claims as grossly misleading. They argue that Nigeria’s security challenges—spanning terrorism, banditry, and communal clashes—are not driven by religion but by complex socio-economic and criminal factors.
“Terrorists in Nigeria do not target victims based on faith,” a senior security analyst explained.
“They kill indiscriminately. Both Christians and Muslims have suffered equally from insurgency and violent crime over the past 14 years.”
Analysts cited multiple incidents where Boko Haram and its offshoot, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), attacked both churches and mosques, markets, schools, and villages, resulting in mass casualties across religious lines.
They also pointed out that while Christian communities in Nigeria’s Middle Belt and some northern regions have endured attacks linked to farmer-herder conflicts, thousands of Muslim families in Borno, Yobe, Zamfara, Katsina, and Niger States have also been massacred or displaced by insurgents and bandits.
Security data show that Boko Haram’s early campaigns in the North-East included bombings of mosques, assassinations of Islamic clerics, and killings of Muslim civilians who rejected extremist ideology.
Observers warned that the Western narrative framing Nigeria’s violence as a “war on Christians” reflects a pattern of selective reporting and political bias. “Such portrayals oversimplify Nigeria’s internal crises and ignore the shared suffering of all communities,” one expert noted.
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They also criticised Western politicians who previously downplayed the Boko Haram threat but now amplify misleading religious narratives for ideological or geopolitical gain.
Humanitarian workers in conflict zones across the North-East, North-West, and North-Central confirmed that both Christian and Muslim populations remain victims of violence.
Reports gathered by First Daily correspondent on Sunday showed that Muslim villages in Zamfara and Katsina have faced years of bandit raids, just as Christian settlements in Benue, Plateau, and Taraba have suffered deadly attacks linked to communal disputes.
Experts stressed that framing the crisis as a one-sided religious war only deepens mistrust and hinders peacebuilding efforts.
They urged international partners and media outlets to focus on supporting Nigeria’s counterterrorism operations, community rebuilding, and long-term solutions to poverty, land conflicts, and weak governance—rather than promoting divisive or sensational narratives.