The Federal Government has denied allegations that Christians are being killed in Nigeria, describing the claims as false and baseless.
The clarification follows accusations by United States Senator Ted Cruz, who alleged that the Nigerian government was aiding a “massacre” against Christians and had introduced a bill, the Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act, to sanction Nigerian officials allegedly complicit in such acts.
In a statement on Wednesday, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said the claims were “ignorant, false, and baseless.”
“This is not true. This is not the reflection of what is on the ground. I mean it’s false where you say over 20,000 churches have been burned. It’s also false if you say 52,000 Christians killed,” Idris said.
“Where did he get those numbers from? I think this is absolutely absurd. It’s not supported by any facts whatsoever. The Nigerian government rejects that,” he added.
The minister stressed that no Nigerian official or institution supports or collaborates with violent extremists in any form.
“No Nigerian officials will willingly, deliberately indulge in the act of siding with violent extremists to target any particular religion in this country. This is absolutely false,” he stated.
Idris reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to religious freedom and peaceful coexistence, describing the country as multi-faith.
“Nigeria is a multi-faith country, meaning that it’s a country that has multiple religions. We have Christians, we have Muslims, we even have those who don’t believe in any of these two religions. Nigeria is a very tolerant country. The government of Nigeria is committed to ensuring that there is religious freedom in this country,” he said.
He acknowledged that violent extremism remains a national challenge affecting all Nigerians, regardless of faith.
“It’s unfortunate, sadly, that some of these extremists have killed a number of Christians and a number of Muslims almost everywhere where this violent extremism has support. So, it’s not true,” Idris noted.
He condemned the allegations, describing them as despicable and misleading.
“This is absolutely false to say that there is a calculated or deliberate attempt to kill a particular religious group; it’s not correct, and we find that really very, very unfortunate,” he said.
The minister reassured Nigerians and the international community that the government and security agencies remain committed to combating terrorism and banditry in all forms and will continue to protect every citizen without discrimination.