By: Zagazola Makama

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has dismissed recent claims by some foreign commentators alleging an ongoing “Christian genocide” in Nigeria, describing the assertions as misleading and not supported by facts on the ground.

The association’s reaction follows remarks by U.S. comedian and talk show host Bill Maher, who alleged that Christians were being systematically exterminated in Nigeria by Islamist extremists.

Maher claimed that over 100,000 Christians had been killed since 2009 and that more than 18,000 churches had been burnt in what he described as “a genocide attempt greater than what is going on in Gaza.”

Similarly, U.S. Senator Ted Cruz accused Nigerian officials of “ignoring and even facilitating” the mass killing of Christians by jihadist groups. Cruz said he had introduced a bill, the Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act, to the U.S. Senate to sanction Nigerian officials allegedly complicit in such acts.

Also, Riley Moore, a U.S. Congressman from West Virginia, reportedly urged the U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, to designate Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” and suspend arms sales to the country over alleged persecution of Christians.

Reacting to the allegations, the Director of National Issues and Social Welfare of CAN, Abimbola Ayuba, said the pattern of killings across Nigeria does not suggest a religious motive, as both Christians and Muslims have been victims of terrorism and banditry.

Ayuba said, “Empirical facts exist all over showing the spate of killings in Nigeria, but the pattern has not been religious. In some areas like Benue, it may appear as if Christians are being targeted, but the same insurgency has claimed several Muslims some even during early morning prayers.”

He described the situation as a national tragedy rather than a religious conflict, stressing that bullets from terrorists do not “look for a Christian or spare a Muslim.”

According to him, “Sometimes, our situation is being exploited by groups with foreign interests. They benefit from spreading misinformation abroad. Those foreign interests may have a right to express concern, but we must also report things as they truly are.”

Ayuba urged Nigerians to adopt an all-of-society approach to end insurgency rather than seeking external sympathy.

“Instead of running to America, why not use our own institutions like the Senate to seek redress? When they place Nigeria on a blacklist, all of us will suffer. But those who go abroad to look for sympathy know why they do that,” he said.

The Presidency had earlier dismissed similar claims of a religious genocide, reiterating that the ongoing insecurity in parts of the country is driven by terrorism, banditry, and criminality rather than faith-based conflict.

By: Zagazola Makama

Security analyst and counterinsurgency expert, Zagazola Makama, has dismissed as false, baseless, and hypocritical the recent claims by U.S. Congressman Riley M. Moore alleging “systematic persecution and slaughter of Christians” in Nigeria.

Makama said the Congressman’s remarks were nothing but an orchestrated attempt to exploit religion as a political weapon, while disguising the real agenda to deny Nigeria access to weapons and military hardware needed to defeat terrorism.

This entire narrative of so-called Christian genocide is not only false but deliberately crafted to cripple Nigeria’s counterterrorism capacity. The same terrorists who attack churches also bomb mosques and kill Muslim villagers. They are not fighting for faith they are fighting against peace,” Makama said.

He noted that Moore’s claim of 7,000 Christians killed in 2025 was not supported by any verifiable evidence or credible international monitoring body, including the United Nations, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, or even the U.S. Embassy in Abuja, which maintains real-time intelligence on Nigeria’s security situation.

“If the U.S. Embassy in Abuja with its vast intelligence network has never classified the violence in Nigeria as religious genocide, then where exactly did this Congressman get his statistics from? Certainly not from facts,” he said.

Makama said it was deeply disturbing that individuals in the U.S. Congress could be misled by propaganda designed to portray Nigeria as a country at war with its Christian population, when in fact, victims of insurgency and banditry cut across all religions and ethnicities.

He warned that blocking arms sales to Nigeria under the guise of human rights or religious concerns would directly strengthen the terrorists and make the U.S. Congress complicit in the killings they claim to condemn.

“When you deny Nigeria weapons to fight terror, you are helping the terrorists who get theirs through illegal back channels. That means the so-called human rights defenders in Congress are aiding mass murder by ensuring that innocent civilians remain defenceless,” Makama stated.

He also reminded the U.S. lawmaker that earlier this year, Washington itself admitted that American taxpayer money through USAID had found its way into the hands of terrorist-linked organizations in the Sahel, yet no one has been prosecuted.

“So before pointing fingers at Nigeria, the U.S. should first look inward. Their own agencies have admitted to indirectly funding terrorists, and yet, they continue to lecture other nations about accountability,” he said.

Makama described the Congressman’s statements as a dangerous attempt to sow religious division and mislead the international community into viewing Nigeria through a sectarian lens.

“Nigeria’s security crisis is not a Christian-versus-Muslim war. It is a fight between lawful citizens and violent extremists. Any attempt to twist it into a religious war is dishonest and deeply irresponsible,” he said.

He added that countless soldiers and civilians of both faiths have sacrificed their lives in defence of the country, and their bravery should never be undermined by political actors seeking to weaponise faith for foreign agendas.

“Those who peddle this false narrative are not friends of peace. They are knowingly promoting religious hatred and helping the enemies of Nigeria by trying to cut off its access to essential defence support,” Makama said.

He called on international partners to rely on verified intelligence, credible data, and first-hand reports from reputable organizations rather than politically motivated fabrications designed to damage Nigeria’s reputation.

“If the U.S. truly stands for global peace and religious freedom, it must stop empowering propaganda that fuels division and weakens nations fighting terrorism on the frontlines,” he concluded.

By: Fabian Apechihin

In a powerful show of anguish and defiance, farmers from Kagarko Local Government Area in Southern Kaduna staged a barefoot march to the palace of Chief Yohanna Akaito on Saturday, their faces smeared with black paint and hands clutching mourning leaves.

The dramatic procession, led largely by women dressed in black, was a desperate plea for justice amid ongoing attacks by armed herders that have devastated their farmlands and left scores dead.

A viral video published by Sahara Reporters showed hundreds of farmers—men, women, and children—moving solemnly toward the palace. Their faces reflected grief and exhaustion. One woman, speaking through tears, declared, “They are killing us, our husbands, our children,” a cry that resonated through the gathered crowd.

This marks the third such protest in Southern Kaduna within a week, underscoring growing frustration in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, where herder-farmer clashes have claimed more than 10,000 lives since 2010, according to the International Crisis Group.

In Southern Kaduna, a region with a largely Christian population, these conflicts often carry ethnic and religious undertones, further deepening divisions. The farmers accuse local authorities of inaction despite Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani’s security initiatives. Critics insist that the persistent violence calls for a fundamental rethink of land-use policies, including the debate over grazing reserves and open grazing bans.

The protest has stirred intense debate online, with many Nigerians describing the situation as a humanitarian crisis and others calling it a “Christian genocide,” urging global attention and intervention.

As dusk fell over the palace, the image of blackened faces and bare feet lingered—a haunting symbol of a people’s resilience and a nation’s ongoing struggle to reconcile justice, security, and peace.