The Federal Government has dismissed claims that Christians were being killed in Nigeria.
United States Senator Ted Cruz had accused Nigeria’s government of enabling a “massacre” against Christians, citing a rising number of attacks against the community in the country’s troubled centre.
Cruz said he had introduced a bill, the Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act, to the US senate to sanction Nigerian officials allegedly complicit in such acts.
However, in a statement on Wednesday, the Information Minister, Mohammed Idris, described the claims as “ignorant, false and baseless.”
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“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.”
Idris stated that no Nigerian official or institution supports or colludes 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 reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to religious freedom and coexistence, saying, “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, however, acknowledged the challenges of violent extremism that affect 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.
“We find that to be very unfortunate. It’s despicable, it’s not right. This is absolutely false to say that there is a calculated or a deliberate attempt to kill a particular religious group; it’s not correct, and we find that really very, very unfortunate.”
The minister reiterated that the Federal Government is reassuring its citizens and the international community that the security forces remain committed to combating terrorism and banditry in all forms, and will continue to protect every Nigerian without discrimination.