Reps dismiss claims linking Nigeria’s security crisis to religion, seek diplomatic response to US Bill

The House of Representatives has rejected claims portraying Nigeria’s security challenges as religiously motivated or state-sponsored.

This follows a bill introduced in the United States Congress on March 11, 2025, which seeks to designate Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” for allegedly engaging in and tolerating systematic violations of religious freedom.

In response, the House directed relevant government agencies, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to gather and present factual evidence countering the allegations made in the U.S. bill.

The resolution was adopted after a motion of urgent public importance moved by the Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu, which received unanimous support from lawmakers.

Members of the House maintained that Nigeria’s security problems are not driven by religion and called for swift diplomatic intervention to ensure the bill does not progress in the U.S. Congress.

Two weeks ago, the Federal Government had dismissed similar claims that terrorists in Nigeria are conducting a systematic genocide against Christians, describing such reports as “false, baseless, despicable, and divisive.”

In a statement, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said attempts to frame Nigeria’s insecurity as a religious war distort the facts and undermine national unity.

“The federal government strongly condemns and categorically refutes recent allegations by certain international platforms and online influencers suggesting that terrorists operating in Nigeria are engaged in a systematic genocide against Christians,” the statement read.

“Such claims are false, baseless, despicable, and divisive. Portraying Nigeria’s security challenges as a targeted campaign against a single religious group is a gross misrepresentation of reality. While Nigeria, like many countries, has faced security challenges, including acts of terrorism perpetrated by criminals, couching the situation as a deliberate, systematic attack on Christians is inaccurate and harmful.”

The minister further stressed that extremists have attacked Nigerians of all faiths and commended the military’s ongoing efforts in combating terror groups across the country.