The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, has refuted reports claiming that thousands of Christians are being killed in Nigeria, describing the allegations as a gross exaggeration.
Onanuga’s reaction came on Saturday following a post by the United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, who alleged that radical Islamists and Fulani militias were behind the “ongoing slaughter of thousands of Christians” in Nigeria.
Rubio stated on X on Friday, “The ongoing slaughter of thousands of Christians in Nigeria by radical Islamists and Fulani ethnic militias is both tragic and unacceptable. As @POTUS said, the United States stands ready, willing, and able to act.”
Rubio’s statement came shortly after the White House announced Nigeria’s designation as a Country of Particular Concern over alleged violations of religious freedom.
U.S. President Donald Trump also declared on Friday that Nigeria had been designated a Country of Particular Concern due to alleged genocide against Christians.
Trump claimed that thousands of Christians were being killed in Nigeria by radical Islamists and Fulani militias, describing the situation as “a genocide against believers.”
Responding to Rubio through his official X account, Onanuga wrote, “Dear Secretary Rubio, there is no ongoing slaughter of thousands of Christians in Nigeria. This is a gross exaggeration of the Nigerian situation. What we do have are sporadic attacks on some villages by bandits and terrorists, and the attacks are religiously insensitive. Christians, Muslims, churches, and mosques are attacked randomly.”
He insisted that insecurity in Nigeria is not based on religion, emphasising that both Christians and Muslims have been victims of violence across the country.
“What our country requires from America is military support to fight these violent extremists in some states of our country, not designation as a nation of particular concern,” Onanuga added.
In another response to Rubio, Onanuga stated, “Secretary Rubio, Muslim lives matter too.”
The Federal Government, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, had earlier rejected Nigeria’s inclusion on the list, describing the move as misleading and unjust.
In its reaction, the government explained that insecurity in Nigeria stems from banditry and criminality rather than religious persecution, stressing that both Christians and Muslims have suffered casualties.
The government further criticised Trump’s portrayal of the crisis as a religious genocide, reaffirming that Nigeria remains committed to safeguarding the rights and freedoms of all religious groups.
