Lucky Obukohwo, Reporting
The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) has said the claims that Christians are being deliberately targeted and killed across the country is false and misleading, therefore, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) should not believe it.
In a statement signed by its Deputy National Legal Adviser, Imam Haroun Muhammad Eze, the NSCIA said the allegations making rounds on international platforms and social media are “baseless” and aimed at creating division and tarnishing Nigeria’s image globally.
The Council said that while it appreciates the efforts of government agencies that have countered the false reports, it faulted the government for failing to “call a spade a spade” by identifying and condemning those within the country responsible for promoting the narrative.
According to the NSCIA, the allegations of a genocidal campaign against Christians are part of a wider effort by “political desperadoes and religious irredentists” to plunge Nigeria into a religious war.
It added that the U.S. State Department’s 2023 report on international religious freedom shows that terrorists and bandits attack both churches and mosques indiscriminately.
The Council expressed disappointment that the federal government had not called out individuals like Bishop Wilfred Anagbe of the Catholic Diocese of Makurdi and Rev. Joseph Hayab of the Northern CAN, who it said recently made “false and divisive” statements to foreign bodies.
The statement also accused CAN of playing a “script” aimed at gaining international sympathy and funding through Islamophobic propaganda.
The Council alleged that CAN had continued to portray Muslims negatively, even though “terrorists and criminal groups attack all Nigerians, regardless of religion.” It further criticised what it described as government bias in recent actions, including the President’s exclusive meeting with Christian leaders during his visit to Plateau State, and policies from agencies like the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM), which it said unfairly target Islamic institutions.