The House of Representatives has firmly dismissed narratives suggesting that Nigeria’s security challenges are either religiously motivated or state-sponsored.
This stance follows a bill introduced in the United States Congress on 11 March 2025, which seeks to classify Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” for allegedly engaging in, or tolerating, systematic and severe violations of religious freedom.
In response, the House instructed relevant government agencies, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to gather and present credible evidence that refutes the claims contained in the U.S. bill.
The resolution stemmed from a motion of urgent national importance moved by the Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu, and received unanimous support from lawmakers.
Members of the House insisted that Nigeria is not experiencing a religious conflict and emphasised the need for swift diplomatic engagement to prevent the bill from advancing in the U.S. Congress.
Two weeks earlier, the Federal Government had already rejected similar allegations, dismissing claims that terrorists in Nigeria are committing a systematic genocide against Christians. The government described the accusations as “false, baseless, despicable, and divisive.”
Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, stressed in a statement that portraying Nigeria’s security issues as a targeted campaign against a particular religious group is a gross distortion of reality.
“The Federal Government strongly condemns and categorically rejects recent allegations by certain international organisations and online commentators suggesting that terrorists in Nigeria are engaged in a systematic genocide against Christians,” the statement read.
“Such claims are false, baseless, despicable, and divisive. Depicting Nigeria’s security situation as a targeted attack on one religious group misrepresents the facts.
“While Nigeria, like many other countries, faces security challenges – including acts of terrorism by criminal groups – describing these incidents as a deliberate, organised assault on Christians is both inaccurate and harmful.
“It oversimplifies a complex and multifaceted security environment and ultimately serves the interests of terrorists and criminals who aim to divide Nigerians along religious or ethnic lines.”
The minister added that extremists have targeted Nigerians of all faiths and highlighted significant progress made by the military in operations against terrorist groups.