By Boluwatife Adedokun
Nigeria has dismissed former U.S. President Donald Trump’s claims of a “Christian genocide,” emphasizing that violence in the country affects people of all faiths. Officials warned that while the government welcomes international support in combating terrorism, any U.S. military intervention must respect Nigeria’s sovereignty.
Trump, over the weekend, said he was considering a range of military options in Nigeria, including troop deployment and air strikes, to “stop the killings of Christians.” He accused Nigerian authorities of failing to protect Christians and vowed the U.S. “will not allow that to happen.”
According to reports, Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa, spokesperson for Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, dismissed Trump’s remarks as misleading.
“There is no Christian genocide in Nigeria,” Ebienfa said. “Yes, there are killings, but they are not restricted to Christians alone. Muslims, traditional worshippers, and other citizens are also victims. The perpetrators are Boko Haram and other terrorist groups—not the Nigerian government.”
Ebienfa added that Nigeria remains open to collaboration with international partners but would not tolerate any action undermining its national integrity.
“We are ready to fight terrorism together, but not at the cost of our sovereignty,” he said.
Tinubu Administration Responds
Presidential adviser Daniel Bwala also played down tensions between Washington and Abuja, saying Nigeria would “welcome U.S. assistance as long as it recognises our territorial integrity.”
He added that Trump’s remarks labeling Nigeria a “disgraced country” should not be taken literally.
“We know Donald Trump thinks well of Nigeria,” Bwala said. “We believe dialogue between both leaders will yield better cooperation in fighting terrorism.”
President Bola Tinubu, in a separate statement, defended his administration’s commitment to religious tolerance. Tinubu, a Muslim married to a Christian pastor, stressed that Nigeria ensures balanced representation in key government appointments.
“Nigeria is not religiously intolerant,” Tinubu said. “Our government has maintained open engagement with Christian and Muslim leaders alike to address insecurity affecting all citizens.”
Last week, Tinubu appointed a Christian as the new Defence Chief, continuing the tradition of balancing religious representation in top positions.
Experts Dismiss ‘Christian Genocide’ Narrative
Conflict analysts and human rights experts say Trump’s claims misrepresent Nigeria’s complex security challenges.
Bulama Bukarti, a Nigerian humanitarian lawyer said the narrative of a Christian genocide is a “dangerous far-right exaggeration.”
“The data shows there’s no Christian genocide in Nigeria. Armed groups target both Muslims and Christians, attacking churches, mosques, markets, and villages indiscriminately,” Bukarti said.
Data from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) supports this. Of 1,923 attacks on civilians in Nigeria this year, only 50 were identified as religiously motivated against Christians.
Ladd Serwat, a senior Africa analyst at ACLED, said insurgent groups often use anti-Christian rhetoric but their violence “devastates entire communities regardless of faith.”
He explained that Nigeria’s conflict stems from overlapping issues such as political power struggles, land disputes, ethnicity, and criminal banditry—not religious persecution.
Ebenezer Obadare, a senior fellow for Africa studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, urged Washington to cooperate with Nigeria instead of threatening military intervention.
“Nigeria indeed needs military assistance, but invading or bypassing its government would be counterproductive,” Obadare said.
Nigeria, home to over 200 million people, is split between a mostly Muslim north and a largely Christian south. The northeast has been the epicenter of a 15-year insurgency led by Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), which have killed thousands and displaced millions.
While the Nigerian government continues efforts to contain the insurgency, experts say framing the conflict as religious persecution risks worsening divisions in an already fragile nation.
