President Bola Tinubu’s Special Assistant on Social Media, Olusegun Dada, has sharply criticised U.S. Congressman Riley Moore following the latter’s claims alleging widespread persecution of Christians in Nigeria.
In a strongly worded response posted Tuesday on X (formerly Twitter), Dada known online as “Daddy D.O” described the American lawmaker as “ignorant,” accusing him of misrepresenting Nigeria’s religious landscape and promoting a distorted narrative.
“Firstly, let me say, Congressman Riley, you are ignorant if not more ignorant than Ted Cruz about Nigeria,” Dada wrote. He went on to affirm Nigeria’s commitment to religious freedom and coexistence, describing the country as “a proud, sovereign nation built on the faith and resilience of its people.”
“No faith is under siege, no community is excluded,” he stated. “Our churches, mosques, and traditional shrines stand side by side not as rivals, but as symbols of the unity that binds us.”
Dada’s remarks came in response to a series of posts by Congressman Moore on Monday, in which the U.S. lawmaker described Nigeria as “the deadliest country in the world for Christians.” Moore also urged U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to classify Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern under international religious freedom guidelines.
Citing the ongoing Boko Haram insurgency and other violent incidents since 2009, Moore claimed that over 50,000 Christians had been killed, with more than five million displaced.
He further alleged that 250 priests had been attacked or killed, and upwards of 19,000 churches destroyed in the past decade.
The congressman also accused some Nigerian officials of being complicit in religiously motivated violence, highlighting the enforcement of anti-blasphemy laws as a troubling indicator of state bias.
READ ALSO: Tinubu Preaches Religious Tolerance at Plateau Funeral
Moore’s comments echoed similar sentiments recently expressed by U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, who had accused Nigerian authorities of “ignoring and even facilitating the mass murder of Christians by Islamist jihadists.”
In his rebuttal, Dada challenged the credibility of such claims, arguing that both Cruz and Moore lack a nuanced understanding of Nigeria’s complex religious and cultural dynamics. He referenced past interviews where Cruz displayed what Dada called “total ignorance” about global affairs.
“I hope Tucker Carlson can ask Ted Cruz this line of questions again, but this time about Nigeria,” Dada wrote, drawing parallels to past criticisms of Cruz’s foreign policy views.
The controversy has reignited debate around international perceptions of religious freedom in Nigeria a multi-faith nation where tensions between communities occasionally erupt into violence but where many citizens and officials insist coexistence remains strong.
So far, Nigeria’s federal government has not issued an official statement in response to the U.S. lawmakers’ remarks.