Nigeria’s Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, has accused some United States lawmakers of relying on misleading data to allege that there is a Christian genocide in the country.
Idris was responding to calls by some US legislators urging Secretary of State Marco Rubio to take diplomatic action against the Nigerian government over what they described as “systematic persecution and slaughter of Christians.”
Speaking during an interview on CNN on Tuesday night, Idris insisted that insurgents do not target a particular religion.
He asserted that the lawmakers’ claims do not reflect the complexity of Nigeria’s security situation.
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His comments were contained in a statement issued on Wednesday by his Special Assistant on Media, Rabiu Ibrahim.
The Minister said, “Some of the claims made by officials of the United States are based on faulty data and the assumption that victims of violence are largely Christians.
“Yes, there are Christians being attacked, but these criminals do not target one religion, they attack both Christians and Muslims, especially in the northern part of the country.”
Rejecting the genocide claim, Idris maintained that Nigeria remains committed to religious freedom, human rights, and democracy.
He stressed that freedom of religion is guaranteed under the Nigerian Constitution and must be respected by all citizens.
“The minister cautioned that framing the country’s insecurity as a religious war could deepen national divisions and play into the hands of criminals seeking to inflame tensions. “Characterising these attacks as being against Christians alone will drive Nigeria towards unnecessary division,” he warned.
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