The Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), and the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) on Sunday expressed divergent views on the allegation of Christian genocide in Nigeria. While NSCIA says the allegations were false, dangerous and politically motivated, PFN said Christians were being killed in Nigeria.
NSCIA’s Secretary-General, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, told an Abuja press conference on Sunday that the Western media and political figures were blowing up the allegation of Christian genocide as a coordinated plot to destabilise Nigeria.
NSCIA attributed the violence in parts of the country to 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.
Oloyede accused some Nigerian separatist groups, foreign lobbyists, and U.S. politicians of cashing in on 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.”
Reacting, PFN President Oke told his host the Olubadan 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.”
According to Oke, Boko Haram, ISWAP, and splinter cells invoke Islam during attacks, adding that they do not represent the wider Muslim community.
He said the killing of Deborah Samuel, the kidnapping of Leah Sharibu and Chibok girls, as well as the attacks in Benue, Taraba, southern Kaduna, Owo in Ondo State, Niger, and Plateau were among the hundreds of Christians and pastors who had been murdered.
US President Donald Trump in several posts on X between October 31 and November 1, alleged genocide against Christians and threatened to send its military to Nigeria if the Federal Government failed to stop the killings by jihadist groups.
Oke thanked 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 said.
