The Federal Government has identified foreign lobbyists, particularly in the United States, as the main drivers of claims about a “Christian genocide” in Nigeria, accusing them of distorting international perceptions of the country’s security situation.
Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, disclosed this during a press briefing in Abuja on Wednesday, stating that government findings reveal a coordinated effort to misrepresent Nigeria’s internal security challenges.
Idris said: “The Nigerian government has been able to see a correlation between some of the lobbyists operating, especially in the US, and the activities here.
“We have seen that some of the influencers of these criminal activities have a direct relationship with lobbyists in the US, who have a direct relationship with some of these people who are shouting about this issue outside this country.”
The minister explained that although insecurity remains a serious concern across communities, there is no evidence that any religious group is being deliberately targeted.
“Nigeria faces long-standing security challenges that have impacted Christians and Muslims alike. Any narrative suggesting that the Nigerian state is failing to take action against religious attacks is based on misinformation or faulty data,” he said.
He described the U.S. position as one built on “misrepresentation and misinformation,” insisting that violent groups in Nigeria are not motivated by religion.
Highlighting counter-terrorism efforts under President Bola Tinubu’s administration, Idris noted that security forces have “neutralised more than 13,500 terrorists” and arrested over 17,000 suspects since May 2023.
He added that “more than 9,850 abducted persons” have been rescued and reunited with their families within the same period.
The minister reaffirmed that the government will continue to collaborate with international partners to dismantle terrorist networks in the country.
This follows the United States’ recent redesignation of Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” over alleged religious persecution and mass killings of Christians — a classification the Nigerian government has firmly rejected.
