Nyesom Wike, minister of the federal capital territory (FCT), has dismissed allegations that Christians are being targeted and killed in Nigeria under President Bola Tinubu’s administration, describing such claims as politically motivated.
Speaking on Monday during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Wike labelled the genocide narrative as “politics taken too far.”
“I am a Christian. My father is a pastor; my family are all Christians. It’s an indictment on my person as a Christian that, in a government I’m serving, anybody will allege that the government is supporting genocide or the killing of Christians. This is politics taken too far,” he said.
He noted that several key figures in the current administration are Christians, saying, “The inspector-general of police is a Christian, the director-general of the Department of State Services is a Christian, and the chief of defence staff is a Christian. Tell me how any right-thinking person will think that we will sit in a government and support the killing of our own people?”
When asked whether the opposition was responsible for pushing the genocide narrative, Wike responded, “It is very obvious, and I have said this.”
He added that the opposition, weakened by internal collapse, is using divisive narratives to discredit the government.
“The problem we have today is that, Mr President, the very nature of politics means you can see the collapse of the opposition. It will be difficult for anybody. The opposition today has seen that no party is prepared to challenge the president returning to power. What do we do? Should we allow him to just go in like that without challenges? We must do something, and one of the things to do is bring up such things that will divide the country.”
Wike also stressed that no Nigerian leader derives satisfaction from violence or killings anywhere in the nation.
His remarks followed US President Donald Trump’s threat of military action against Nigeria over alleged persecution of Christians.
On his Truth Social platform, Trump claimed Christianity faces an “existential threat” in Nigeria and said he had asked the Pentagon to prepare a “possible plan of attack.” He warned that if Nigeria fails to address the issue, “the attack will be fast, vicious, and sweet — just like the terrorist thugs attack our cherished Christians.”
Reacting to Trump’s statement, Wike said he believes the US president may have been misinformed or misled, stating, “There could be some misinformation or distortion. It’s unfortunate.”