Nigeria’s religious fault lines widened on Sunday after the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) dismissed allegations of Christian genocide in the country as false, dangerous, and politically motivated.
Addressing journalists in Abuja, NSCIA Secretary-General, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, accused the Western media and foreign politicians of orchestrating a coordinated campaign to destabilise Nigeria under the guise of religious persecution.
He said the ongoing violence in parts of the country was not driven by faith but by poverty, climate-induced migration, and bad governance.
“There is no Christian terrorism, no Muslim terrorism, and no religious intolerance in Nigeria,” Oloyede said. “Our tragedy is rooted in poverty, corruption, and insecurity — yet some groups exploit it for geopolitical profit.”
Trump’s Military Warning Rekindles Debate
The renewed controversy followed the U.S. government’s decision to re-list Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” over alleged religious persecution — a move endorsed by former U.S. President Donald Trump, who warned that America might “send troops to Nigeria” if the Federal Government failed to stop jihadist attacks.
Oloyede dismissed the remark as “misguided interference,” urging Washington to support Nigeria with intelligence and logistics instead of “smear campaigns.”
“Some separatist groups and their Western allies feed fabricated statistics and doctored videos to justify pressure on Nigeria,” he alleged, calling Trump’s threat “a political tool, not a reflection of facts on the ground.”
PFN Insists: ‘There Is Christian Genocide’
But the President of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Bishop Wale Oke, countered Oloyede’s position during a courtesy visit to the Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Rashidi Ladoja.
“There is Christian genocide in Nigeria. No Christian group is attacking Muslims. The patience of the church is being stretched,” Oke declared.
He cited incidents such as the killings of Deborah Samuel, the abduction of Leah Sharibu, and the Chibok girls tragedy, as well as attacks across Benue, Plateau, Taraba, Niger, and Ondo States.
“Extremist groups like Boko Haram and ISWAP invoke Islam while attacking Christians, though they do not represent the wider Muslim community,” he added.
Bishop Oke thanked Trump for drawing global attention to the killings but urged him to avoid military intervention and instead collaborate with President Bola Tinubu to eradicate terrorist cells.
Calls for Unity and Caution Amid Global Attention
Reacting to the controversy, the Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, lamented the loss of lives and property across Nigeria and appealed for calm. “Terrorists don’t know the difference between Muslims and Christians. They see everyone as prey,” he said, urging unity among religious communities.
In Osogbo, All Progressives Congress chieftain, Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, also rejected Trump’s military threat, warning that allowing foreign troops into Nigeria could worsen the crisis.
“This is not a time to play politics,” Oyintiloye said. “Nigerians, regardless of religion, must unite to overcome insecurity.”
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