- The house of representatives has condemned a bill by US lawmakers seeking to hold Nigerian government officials accountable for “facilitating the mass murder of Christians”
- Legit.ng reports that the lower legislative chamber led by Abbas Tajudeen and Benjamin Kalu argued that there is no state-sponsored persecution of Christians in Nigeria
- The green chamber passed the resolution during Wednesday’s plenary following the adoption of a motion sponsored by Benjamin Kalu, the deputy speaker, and 359 lawmakers
Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 9 years of experience covering public affairs and governance in Nigeria.
FCT, Abuja – The house of representatives has rejected the claim of genocide against Christians in Nigeria.
As reported by Daily Trust on Thursday, October 9, Nigerian lawmakers described the claim as a “misleading narrative.”
Abbas Tajudeen and other federal lawmakers move to counter United States’ senate bill targeting Nigeria over religious freedom. Photo credit: House of Representatives, Federal Republic of Nigeria
Source: Facebook
Nigerian lawmakers disagree with US official
PM News also noted the federal lawmakers’ stance.
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This is as the House has called for a coordinated diplomatic and domestic response to a proposed legislation in the United States (US) senate seeking to designate Nigeria as a “country of particular concern” over alleged violation of religious freedom.
The lower legislative chamber’s resolutions followed a motion by Benjamin Kalu, deputy speaker of the house of representatives, and several other lawmakers during plenary on Wednesday, October 8.
Legit.ng recalls that US Senator Ted Cruz has 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.
In an X post on Tuesday, October 7, Cruz said 50,000 Christians have been killed since 2009 with 2,000 schools and 18,000 churches destroyed by what he called “Islamist” armed groups, but he did not cite sources for the information.
Cruz, who counts evangelical Christians among his base, has introduced a bill to sanction Nigerian officials whom he accused of “ignoring and even facilitating the mass murder of Christians”.
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The Republican lawmaker is the most prominent figure among voices from within the Christian political right in the US who are increasingly pushing claims of a Christian genocide in Africa’s most populous country, where 48 percent of people are Christians.
Benjamin Kalu and other house of representatives members knock claims of genocide against Christians. Photo credit: Benjamin Kalu
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Kalu, in his motion titled: “Urgent Need for a Coordinated Diplomatic and Domestic Response to the Proposed Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act of 2025 (U.S. Senate Bill S.2747) and to Mischaracterisations of Nigeria’s Security and Religious-Freedom Landscape,” drew the attention of his colleagues to what he described as a “misleading narrative” being advanced by the proposed US legislation.
The deputy speaker stressed that such portrayals are inaccurate and fail to reflect the complexity of Nigeria’s security situation.
Kalu said:
“Insecurity in Nigeria is driven by multiple factors, insurgency, criminal banditry, separatist violence, farmer-herder clashes and communal disputes, and affects citizens of all faiths.“It is misleading to attribute these challenges to state policy or to frame them as religious persecution.”
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He added:
“We must not allow foreign mischaracterisations to distort our reality or undermine our strategic relations.”
Contributing to the motion, various legislators expressed concerns over the implications of the US Congress’ move and urged swift action to address the incorrect narrative against Nigeria.
In the same vein,
Nigeria is plagued by security problems as the armed gangs, with Benue and Plateau states heavily impacted.
Tinubu refutes claims of genocide against Christians in Nigeria
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu dismissed claims that terrorists in Nigeria are carrying out a systematic genocide against Christians, describing the allegations as ‘false’ and ‘malicious’.
The Nigerian leader insisted that no religion is under siege.
Tinubu, in Owerri, Imo state, blasted those peddling allegations of religious genocide in the country.
Source: Legit.ng
