ABUJA, Nigeria — The Nigerian government has pushed back against assertions from senior U.S. officials that thousands of Christians are being killed in Nigeria, describing the claims as exaggerated and misleading.
Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, dismissed the allegations on Saturday, November 1, 2025, following comments by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who accused “radical Islamists and Fulani ethnic militias” of carrying out an “ongoing slaughter of thousands of Christians.”
Rubio wrote on X: “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.”
His remarks came after President Donald Trump designated Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) over alleged religious persecution, claiming a “genocide against believers.”
Onanuga firmly rejected the characterisation, describing it as inaccurate.
“Dear Secretary Rubio, there is no ongoing slaughter of thousands of Christians in Nigeria. This is a gross exaggeration of the Nigerian situation,” he wrote on X.
“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 added that Nigeria’s security crisis is criminal rather than religious in nature, insisting that both faith communities have suffered loss of life.
“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 said, later adding in another post: “Secretary Rubio, Muslim lives matter too.”
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also rejected the CPC designation, calling it “misleading and unfair.”
It argued that insecurity stems from banditry, terrorism, and organised crime — not government-sponsored persecution.
Tinubu and senior aides maintain that Nigeria remains committed to protecting religious freedom.
They stress that violent actors target citizens “across faiths and regions,” undermining claims of systematic attacks on one religious group.
The exchange marks a sharp escalation in diplomatic tensions between Abuja and Washington.
Trump has threatened to halt aid and potentially launch military operations if Nigeria fails to “protect Christians,” rhetoric that Nigerian officials have described as unhelpful and inflammatory.
While U.S. officials say the CPC designation is meant to address religious freedom concerns, Nigerian authorities warn that mischaracterising the violence risks deepening communal tensions and undermining counterterrorism cooperation.
As diplomatic discussions continue, analysts say both governments face pressure — from U.S. evangelical constituencies on one side and Nigerian religious and security stakeholders on the other — making de-escalation politically sensitive.
Nigeria has urged Washington to prioritise collaboration over confrontation, particularly through intelligence support, training, and equipment to combat extremist groups operating in the country.
For now, both sides appear braced for a prolonged public and diplomatic dispute over how Nigeria’s conflict is defined — and who is responsible for addressing it.
