…Calls Claims ‘Fake News’
Former Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has dismissed claims that Christians are being targeted for genocide in Nigeria, describing such narratives as “false” and “misleading.”
Mohammed made the remarks on Wednesday during an interactive session with students of Abbey College Cambridge in the United Kingdom. The session, organised to expose students from diverse backgrounds to Nigeria’s governance and political landscape, also addressed concerns around security and religious tensions.
Responding to a question on alleged persecution of Christians, the former minister insisted that Nigeria’s security crisis is complex and not driven by any deliberate attempt to eliminate a religious group.
“There should be more understanding on the part of the developed world. Now, people say that there is religious persecution in Nigeria and that there is genocide against Christians. It’s not true. It is fake news,” he said. “Nigeria as a country has challenges that will not be resolved by genocide against any religion.”
Mohammed traced the roots of insurgency to the emergence of Boko Haram, noting that its early victims were predominantly Muslims who embraced Western education.
“At the beginning, the victims of Boko Haram were largely Muslims, not Christians. Boko Haram started as a revolt by extreme Muslims against conventional Muslims like me,” he said.
“Look at the meaning of Boko Haram — ‘haram’ means forbidden or illicit, ‘boko’ means Western education. So for Boko Haram, I, Lai Mohammed, having gone to school, I am an enemy.”
He explained that the group later widened its attacks to include Christians in a bid to attract global attention.
“They realized that Muslims killing one another doesn’t gain traction. When Muslims start killing Christians, it causes an uproar. That is the honest truth,” he said.
On banditry, Mohammed rejected claims of religious motivation, stressing that both perpetrators and victims largely share the same ethnic and religious background.
“The bandits are Muslims, they are Hausa-Fulanis. Their victims are Muslims; they are Hausa-Fulanis. So how can you now talk about religion? It has nothing to do with religion,” he said.
He further argued that data from years of insurgency indicate that Muslims constitute the majority of casualties in northern Nigeria, reinforcing his position that the violence is not faith-driven.
Mohammed maintained that Nigeria remains a country marked by religious tolerance, despite its security challenges.
“We have a spirit of religious tolerance in Nigeria and I challenge anyone to say that it is not true. People can hide under anything to commit a crime, but it is not a policy. Number two, the average Nigerian is not bothered about your religion or ethnicity,” he said.
“In Nigeria, the average Muslim and Christian, they only disagree over money. They won’t disagree over theology. They are more concerned about the economy and ways of life. That is why you have many Christians marrying Muslims and vice versa.
“Look at our president, Bola Tinubu. He is a Muslim while the wife is a leader of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG). That is the Nigeria I know and I am very proud of. So, this narrative about Christian genocide, it is not true and we must vigorously use public communication to challenge it.”
His comments come amid ongoing international scrutiny of Nigeria’s security situation, with global observers continuing to debate whether the country’s violence is rooted in religion, ethnicity, or broader socio-economic pressures such as poverty, weak governance, and competition over land and resources.
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