The Federal Government has dismissed allegations that Nigeria’s security challenges are driven by religious bias, describing the claims as “false, baseless, and divisive.”
Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said extremists target Nigerians of all faiths, not just one religious group.
“Portraying Nigeria’s security challenges as a targeted campaign against a single religious group is inaccurate and harmful,” Idris stated.
He revealed that between May 2023 and February 2025, security forces neutralised over 13,500 terrorists and rescued nearly 10,000 hostages.
“These criminals attack anyone who rejects their murderous ideology, regardless of faith,” he added, noting that the heads of both the armed forces and the police are Christians a reflection, he said, of Nigeria’s religious balance.
Similarly, Massad Boulos, Senior Adviser to former U.S. President Donald Trump on Arab and African Affairs, who visited President Bola Tinubu in October, said terrorism in Nigeria “has no colour, no religion, and no tribe.”
“Any loss of life is one too many, and we should work together to end this,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) urged the government to strengthen protection for Christian communities facing attacks.
“Our concern remains that these cries for justice and protection are too often met with delay or denial,” said CAN President, Archbishop Daniel Okoh.
CAN maintained that it has documented cases of religiously motivated violence and has petitioned the International Criminal Court (ICC) for intervention.
“The pain of Christian families torn apart by violence must never be treated as mere statistics,” the association said.
In a related development, the Nigerian Senate set up a 12-member committee to engage with the U.S. Congress over the issue. Senate President Godswill Akpabio directed the panel to produce a fact-based position paper to guide Nigeria’s diplomatic response.
“Our findings must be backed with verifiable facts and statistics,” Akpabio stated.
Minister Idris appealed to international media and observers to act responsibly.
“We urge all commentators to support Nigeria’s efforts in combating terrorism and criminality,” he said.
