The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) has strongly rejected allegations by the United States and some Western organisations that Christians are being subjected to genocide in Nigeria, describing the claims as false, politically motivated, and dangerous to national unity.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Sunday, the Secretary-General of the NSCIA, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, said the council’s position followed an expanded meeting of its General Purpose Committee, which reviewed recent security and diplomatic developments affecting the country.
Oloyede stated that the NSCIA — the umbrella body for all Islamic organisations in Nigeria — had resolved to condemn foreign attempts to frame Nigeria’s complex security challenges as religious conflict.
“We have not been emphasising the killings of Muslims, not because we are unaware that Muslims are also being killed, but because we do not see what is happening as a religious war. This is a national security issue, not a religious one,” he said.
The NSCIA accused certain foreign groups, including American evangelical networks and right-wing politicians, of deliberately spreading misinformation portraying Nigeria as a country that persecutes Christians, in order to justify external interference.
Professor Oloyede noted that several reports circulated in Western media, particularly in the United States, had influenced senior government officials and created a misleading narrative that Christians were victims of genocide in Nigeria.
“It is unfortunate that U.S. President Donald Trump and some of his associates have been misled to label our country as a place of religious genocide. Such language is dangerous, unfair, and undermines the efforts of a sovereign nation fighting terrorism,” he stated.
The council emphasised that Nigeria’s conflicts are driven by poverty, unemployment, climate change, and criminality — not religion.
Citing findings by Amnesty International and the International Crisis Group, Oloyede explained that desertification, displacement, and competition for scarce resources were the main causes of violence in Nigeria’s northern and central regions.
“This is not a holy war. It is a crisis of survival — a desperate migration of people driven by environmental collapse, poverty, and criminal opportunism,” he added.
The NSCIA also accused foreign-backed lobbyists and separatist sympathisers abroad of exploiting Nigeria’s insecurity for political and financial gain.
“These lobbyists flood Washington with doctored videos and fake statistics. They fabricate figures of Christian deaths and spread religious persecution claims to secure asylum, funding, and attention. This is a betrayal of our nation,” Oloyede alleged.
He claimed that many of these campaigns were being promoted by U.S.-based Christian organisations seeking to rally domestic supporters by portraying Nigeria as hostile to Christianity, while ignoring the equal suffering of Muslims and adherents of other faiths.
The NSCIA also expressed disappointment over the U.S. State Department’s decision to re-designate Nigeria as a ‘Country of Particular Concern (CPC)’ for alleged religious violations, describing the move as “political cynicism” aimed at punishing Nigeria for its independent foreign policy stance.
Oloyede questioned the timing of the designation, noting that it came shortly after Nigeria reaffirmed its support for the two-state solution and the rights of the Palestinian people at the United Nations.
“The so-called genocide narrative is being driven by far-right and pro-Israeli actors. Their aim is to distract global attention from the real genocide in Gaza and to punish Nigeria for standing with justice and international law,” he asserted.
The council further clarified that Nigeria’s relationships with countries such as China and Saudi Arabia were based on mutual economic and diplomatic interests, not on religion.
“Since independence, Nigeria has maintained a non-aligned foreign policy, choosing partners based on mutual benefit. We will not allow our global partnerships to be used as a pretext for destabilisation,” Oloyede said.
The NSCIA also dismissed foreign criticisms of Sharia law, stressing that Nigeria’s Constitution recognises three coexisting legal systems — Common Law, Customary Law, and Sharia Law — each applicable only to its adherents.
“It is irrational for anyone to suggest that Sharia must be abolished before Nigeria can be accepted internationally. Sharia applies only to Muslims, just as Christian marriage laws apply only to Christians. This is constitutional and fair,” he added.
