Nigeria’s foreign affairs minister counters Trump’s allegations of Christian genocide

Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, has rejected the persistent international claims that the federal government is complicit in, or has failed to prevent a genocide against Christians in the country.

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Speaking on Piers Uncensored, a YouTube talk show hosted by Piers Morgan, on Tuesday night, Mr Tuggar insisted that violence in Nigeria affects both Christians and Muslims.

He recalled that even his father-in-law was killed in an attack by non-state actors.

Responding to Mr Morgan’s claim that at least 50,000 Christians have been murdered since 2009, the minister described the figures as “completely false and totally inaccurate.”

He noted that multiple media organisations have fact-checked and disproved them.

Mr Tuggar said that 52 churches have been attacked in the last two years, adding that mosques have also been destroyed.

He acknowledged that the nation-building project is not an easy one, adding that the country “has suffered from effects of things that we have no control over.”

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“Exogenous factors such as the breaking of the Libyan state, the killing of Gaddafi, the proliferation of weapons and fighters that have cascaded down to the northern fringes of Nigeria and beyond it, have affected the entire region. The failure of the EU Sahel strategy over the years.”

Genocide claims

United States President Donald Trump had recently designated Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC), based on claims that Christians were being systematically killed in the country.

He later threatened that unless the Nigerian government stopped what he called “the genocide of Christians,” the United States under his watch would take military action.

The Nigerian government has, however, repeatedly rejected Mr Trump’s false allegations, insisting that terrorist attacks in the country target both Muslims and Christians and that there is no state policy or pattern of persecution against any religious group.

The minister’s statement comes amidst heightened scrutiny and numerous reports from international human rights organisations, think tanks, and religious freedom advocates that have highlighted escalating violence in parts of Nigeria, particularly in the Middle Belt, often pitting predominantly Muslim herders against mostly Christian farmers.

While acknowledging the serious security challenges and the tragic loss of life, Mr Tuggar rejected the application of the term ‘genocide,’ arguing that the conflicts are complex, driven by socio-economic factors, resource competition, and are not part of a coordinated state-sponsored effort aimed at the systemic extermination of a specific religious group.

Attacks

The minister emphasised that the US president was “misinformed by those who trade in generalised labellings, and unfortunately, it has resulted in this statement.”

Mr Tuggar said that Nigerians have lived together in peace for a long time, adding that it is important to be mindful of the complexity of the Nigerian state.

He noted that framing the conflict solely as a religious crisis misrepresents the nuanced reality on the ground and risks exacerbating inter-communal tensions.

He said that the administration remains committed to protecting all Nigerians, regardless of their religious or ethnic background, and is actively working to address the root causes of insecurity nationwide.

“We don’t know the exact number of Christians killed by Boko Haram, but it is a concern for Nigerians,” the foreign minister said.

Mr Tuggar said that Boko Haram affects not just Nigeria but three other countries, including Chad, Niger and Cameroon.

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He said that about 50,000 have surrendered and have been rehabilitated and “processed through the legal system.”

He noted that Nigeria has over 200 million people from a multi-cultural background, insisting that when counting the death toll, victims of attacks are not identified by their religious inclination.

“What we are concerned about is that they are Nigerian first and foremost,” Mr Tuggar said.

Meanwhile, the former Canadian Goldie Ghamari participated in the broadcast programme.

Ms Ghamari referenced the 2014 kidnapping of the Chibok girls by Islamist militants, suggesting it was part of a recurring strategy observed in other nations.

She also accused the Nigerian government of being complicit.

She noted that the Nigerian president and vice president are muslims, claiming there is no Christian representation in the government.

However, the foreign affairs minister countered her stance, stating that the politician lacked knowledge about Nigeria’s complexity.

“She has already exposed her ignorance and lack of knowledge about Nigeria, and it is easy for her to sit 1000 miles away and play games with people’s lives,” Mr Tuggar said.