Nigeria’s Foreign Minister Yusuf Maitama Tuggar clashed with former Canadian lawmaker Garnett Genuis on Piers Morgan’s show over allegations of Christian genocide in Nigeria, defending Nigeria’s record while rejecting Western accusations.
Appearing on Piers Morgan Uncensored, Mr. Tuggar accused critics of misrepresenting the country’s complex security challenges, insisting that violence in Nigeria is driven by criminality and terrorism rather than religious persecution.
Former Canadian lawmaker Garnett Genuis, however, argued that Nigeria has become one of the most dangerous places in the world for Christians.
She cited reports of church burnings, targeted killings, and displacement of communities, pressing Tuggar to acknowledge what he described as “systematic persecution.”
The exchange grew tense as Tuggar dismissed the genocide label as “politically motivated and misleading.” He even suggested that Ms. Genuis and her collaborators are seeking to dismantle Nigeria and spark a war.
“People like her trade in starting wars in faraway places where they have no contact, they have no understanding of, and they can do that from their armchairs,” he said.
He referenced the crisis in sudan/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">South Sudan, which was meant to be a Christian enclave, now carved out of the so-called persecuting Muslim-majority northern Sudan.
He emphasized that Nigeria’s government is actively combating extremist groups such as Boko Haram and bandit militias, which target both Christians and Muslims. “We are not standing idly by. We are fighting criminals who attack Nigerians of all faiths,” he said.
“I lost my father-in-law to an attack by an Islamic terrorist group, Boko Haram, so I myself I’m a victim. I’ve lost family members to attacks and they were Muslims,” he said. “But it doesn’t matter whether they’re Muslim or Christian… the number one enemy of Boko Haram is not a Christian. It is a Muslim who does not subscribe to their own brand of Islam.”
Background to the Dispute
However, the Christian community in Nigeria continue to assert that a Christian genocide has been taking place.
Invited to the show, Rev. Rev. Ezekiel Dachomo, who has conducted several mass burials and is one of the outspoken voices in defense of Christian rights, gave instances of where he buried over 500 Christians killed in one night by the Islamists.
He said he had conducted similar mass burials at least “seventy times“.
Dachomo welcomed the spotlight shone on the Christian persecution and compared the threat by United States President Donald Trump to enter Nigeria to wipe out the Islamists as when God heard the cries of the Jews slaves in Egypt and decided to send a deliverer.
The Piers Morgan Uncensored clash comes amid growing international scrutiny of Nigeria’s human rights record. The United States recently designated Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern.”
Human rights organizations have documented attacks on Christian communities, but analysts note that violence in Nigeria often affects multiple groups, including Muslims, farmers, and herders, making the crisis more complex than a single-faith narrative.
Dachomo admitted as much.
But the debate on Piers Morgan’s show reflects the differences in how Nigeria’s insecurity is perceived abroad. Advocacy groups in North America and Europe have pushed for stronger international action, while Nigerian officials argue that external actors oversimplify the situation and ignore the government’s efforts.
Tuggar warned that labeling the crisis as genocide risks inflaming tensions and undermining cooperation. “We need support, not sensationalism. Nigeria is committed to protecting all its citizens,” he said.
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