Mnena Iyorkegh, Abuja
Nigeria’s Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, has strongly denounced recent comments by United States Senator Ted Cruz alleging genocide and targeted killings of Christians in Nigeria.
In a statement signed by the Minister’s Special Assistant (Media), Rabiu Ibrahim, Idris described the claims as false, misleading, and not reflective of the reality on the ground.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with U.S.-based Fox News Digital published on Tuesday, the Minister firmly rejected the allegations, saying, “The Nigerian government rejects that. This is certainly not true.”
Responding specifically to the figures cited by Senator Cruz, Idris said: “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). 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.”
According to the Minister, 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 peaceful coexistence.
“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.”
The Minister, however, acknowledged the challenges of violent extremism that affects Nigerians across all faiths.
“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 stated.
Idris reaffirmed that the Federal Government of Nigeria is assuring both 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.
PIAK