By Abiola Olawale
The Nigerian Presidency has rejected claims of Christian genocide from the United States, including those amplified by figures within the administration of US President Donald Trump.
In a sharp rebuttal, presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga condemned the narrative, labelling reports of targeted Christian killings as a “gross exaggeration” that dangerously oversimplifies the nation’s complex security challenges.
Onanuga made this known while reacting on Saturday to a post by the United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, who alleged that radical Islamists and Fulani militias were responsible for the “ongoing slaughter of thousands of Christians” in Nigeria.
Rubio said on X on Friday: “The ongoing slaughter of thousands of Christians in Nigeria by radical Islamists and Fulani ethnic militias is both tragic and unacceptable. As @POTUS said, the United States stands ready, willing, and able to act.”
However, Onanuga said: “Dear Secretary Rubio, there is no ongoing slaughter of thousands of Christians in Nigeria. This is a gross exaggeration of the Nigerian situation. What we do have are sporadic attacks on some villages by bandits and terrorists, and the attacks are religiously insensitive. Christians, Muslims, churches, and mosques are attacked randomly.”
He maintained that insecurity in Nigeria is not driven by religion, stressing that both faith communities have suffered from violent attacks across the country.
“What our country requires from America is military support to fight these violent extremists in some states of our country, not designation as a nation of particular concern,” Onanuga added.
In another reply to Rubio, Onanuga said: “Secretary Rubio, Muslim lives matter too.”
