THE Nigerian government has strongly refuted allegations by US Senator Ted Cruz that it is enabling a “massacre” of Christians, labelling the claims “ignorant, false, and baseless.”
Cruz had accused Nigeria of failing to address rising attacks on Christians in the country’s volatile central region, citing figures of 20,000 churches burned and 52,000 Christians killed. He introduced the Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act to the US Senate to sanction Nigerian officials allegedly complicit in the violence.
In a statement on Wednesday, Information Minister Mohammed Idris dismissed Cruz’s claims as unsupported by evidence.
“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 reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to religious freedom, emphasising the country’s multi-faith society. “Nigeria is a very tolerant country. We have Christians, we have Muslims, we even have those who don’t believe in any of these two religions.
“The government of Nigeria is committed to ensuring that there is religious freedom in this country,” he stated.
While acknowledging the challenge of violent extremism, Idris clarified that it impacts 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,” he said.
He firmly denied any deliberate targeting of religious groups, calling such accusations “despicable” and “absolutely false.”
Idris also rejected claims of government collusion with extremists. “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 asserted. The government urged critics to verify their claims and described the allegations as “very unfortunate.”