The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, on Sunday, dismissed the allegation of Christian genocide in Nigeria, describing it as false, dangerous, and politically motivated.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja, the NSCIA’s Secretary-General, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, accused the Western media and political figures of trumpeting the allegation of Christian genocide as part of an alleged coordinated campaign to destabilise Nigeria.
But the President of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, Bishop Wale Oke, insisted that, “There is Christian genocide in Nigeria.”
“There is no other name to call it. No Christian group is attacking Muslims. Patience of the church is being stretched,” Oke said during a visit to the Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, at the weekend.
The debate comes in the wake of Nigeria’s designation as a “Country of Particular Concern” by the United States President Donald Trump.
In a series of posts on X between October 31 and November 1, Trump had condemned continued killings in Nigeria, declaring America’s readiness to send its military to Nigeria if the Federal Government failed to stop the killings by jihadist groups.
But addressing the press in Abuja on Sunday, the NSCIA maintained that the violence in parts of the country was driven by criminality, poverty, and climate-induced migration, not religious persecution.
“We affirm that in Nigeria, there is no Christian terrorism. There is no Muslim terrorism. There is no religious intolerance in Nigeria.
The Nigerian tragedy is that of poverty, climate change, bad governance over time, and armed criminals who kill indiscriminately while a section of the world seeks to exploit the situation for geopolitical profits,” Oloyede said.
The NSCIA Secretary accused some Nigerian separatist groups, foreign lobbyists, and U.S. politicians of exploiting Nigeria’s insecurity for personal or political gain.
“These groups push fabricated statistics and doctored videos to influence Western governments, particularly the United States, to take punitive actions against Nigeria,” he said.
He further alleged that the renewed U.S. designation of Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” was “a political tool, not a reflection of facts on the ground.”
The NSCIA called on both the Nigerian government and the international community to reject the “false and destabilising narrative,” urging President Trump to “assist Nigeria with intelligence and logistics support rather than smear campaigns.”
However, the PFN President, Oke, during his visit to the Olubadan, insisted that, “There is Christian genocide in Nigeria. There is no other name to call it. No Christian group is attacking Muslims. Patience of the church is being stretched.”
He explained that the killings were being perpetrated by extremist groups such as Boko Haram, ISWAP, and splinter cells that invoke Islam during attacks, stressing that they do not represent the wider Muslim community.
Listing the killing of Deborah Samuel, the abduction of Leah Sharibu and the Chibok girls, and attacks in Benue, Taraba, Southern Kaduna, Owo in Ondo State, Niger, and Plateau, he lamented that hundreds of Christians and pastors had been massacred.
Oke expressed appreciation to Trump for raising concerns about the plight of Christians but urged him to avoid military intervention and instead support the Nigerian government.
“Tinubu should ask for the cooperation of Trump, instead of opposing him. The President should root out radical groups like Boko Haram and ISWAP. Work together so that Nigerians can live in peace.
“The government should stand up and not play politics with it. Tinubu and the Federal Government need to cooperate with Trump to deal with this cancer,” he stressed.
According to a statement by Olubadan’s media aide, Adeola Oloko, during the meeting, Oba Ladoja also lamented decades of killings and destruction, saying the Christian community deserved to be placated.
Ladoja said, “Many people have been killed and property worth an inestimable amount of money destroyed. Multitudes of families, particularly women and children, have been displaced. Kidnappings have taken place.
“Successive administrations have spent trillions to fight insecurity. When you look at this scenario over the past 10 years, people are bound to feel aggrieved and resort to self-help.
“Former President Jonathan has tried. Former President Muhammadu Buhari has tried.
Christian genocide: PFN, Islamic council in verbal crossfire
