Special adviser on information and strategy to President Bola Tinubu, Bayo Onanuga, has dismissed as “malicious, contrived lies” the claim by US senator Ted Cruz that Nigerian officials are turning a blind eye to the mass killing of Christians.
Cruz had alleged that Islamist jihadists are carrying out “mass murder of Christians” in Nigeria with the cooperation of government officials.
“Officials in Nigeria are ignoring and even facilitating the mass murder of Christians by Islamist jihadists,” the senator wrote on X.
“It’s time to hold those responsible accountable. My Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act would target these officials with powerful sanctions and other tools.”
Responding via the same platform, Onanuga stated that Nigeria is not experiencing a religious conflict and emphasized that terrorists and bandits attack indiscriminately.
“Senator, stop these malicious, contrived lies against my country. We do not have a religious war in my country,” the presidential aide wrote.
“The degraded Boko Haram terrorists operating on the fringes of Nigeria’s North east target everyone. They attack farmers, our soldiers.
“The bandits in the North west kill worshippers in their mosques. Christians are not targeted. We have religious harmony in our country. Stop these malicious lies.”
On Tuesday, President Tinubu also described the allegations of religious genocide as baseless, stating that Nigeria’s strength lies in the faith and resilience of its people.
Speaking in Owerri, the Imo State capital, the president reaffirmed that no religion is under threat in the country, adding that after 65 years of independence, Nigerians have learned to embrace their cultural and religious diversity.