The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, has rejected reports alleging that thousands of Christians are being massacred in Nigeria, describing such claims as a “gross exaggeration.”
Onanuga’s reaction came on Saturday after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio alleged that radical Islamists and Fulani militias were behind the “ongoing slaughter of thousands of Christians” in the country.
Rubio had written on X (formerly Twitter), “The ongoing slaughter of thousands of Christians in Nigeria by radical Islamists and Fulani ethnic militias is both tragic and unacceptable. As @POTUS said, the United States stands ready, willing, and able to act.”
His statement followed U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement designating Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) over alleged religious freedom violations. Trump had claimed that thousands of Christians were being killed by extremist groups in what he described as “a genocide against believers.”
Responding to Rubio, Onanuga wrote via his X handle: “Dear Secretary Rubio, there is no ongoing slaughter of thousands of Christians in Nigeria. This is a gross exaggeration of the Nigerian situation. What we do have are sporadic attacks on some villages by bandits and terrorists, and the attacks are religiously insensitive. Christians, Muslims, churches, and mosques are attacked randomly.”
He emphasized that Nigeria’s insecurity challenges are not rooted in religion but stem from criminal activities, noting that both Muslims and Christians have suffered from violent attacks.
“What our country requires from America is military support to fight these violent extremists in some states of our country, not designation as a nation of particular concern,” he added.
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In a follow-up post, Onanuga also reminded Rubio that “Muslim lives matter too.”
The Federal Government, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, had earlier rejected the U.S. designation, calling it misleading and unfair.
It reiterated that insecurity in Nigeria is driven by terrorism and banditry rather than religious persecution, stressing that both faith communities have been targets of attacks.
The government also dismissed Trump’s description of the situation as “religious genocide,” reaffirming its commitment to safeguarding the rights and freedoms of all Nigerians regardless of faith.