Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, has dismissed reports alleging the mass killing of Christians in Nigeria, describing them as grossly exaggerated and misleading.
Onanuga stated this in response to comments by the United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, who claimed that radical Islamists and Fulani militias were responsible for the “ongoing slaughter of thousands of Christians” in Nigeria.
Rubio, in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday, had condemned what he described as “genocide against believers,” saying the United States was ready to act against the alleged atrocities.
His remarks came shortly after the White House announced Nigeria’s designation as a “Country of Particular Concern” over alleged violations of religious freedom.
Reacting via his official X handle on Saturday, Onanuga said the claims misrepresented Nigeria’s security reality, noting that insecurity in the country is not rooted in religion.
He wrote: “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.”
The presidential aide stressed that both Christians and Muslims have been victims of violence in different parts of the country.
“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, before concluding in a follow-up post: “Secretary Rubio, Muslim lives matter too.”
The Federal Government, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, had earlier rejected the U.S. designation, describing it as unfair and inconsistent with the true security situation in Nigeria.
It reiterated that the violence across parts of the country stems from criminality and banditry rather than religious persecution, adding that Nigeria remains committed to protecting the rights and freedoms of all faiths.