RismadarVoice Reporters, April 6, 2026
A United States missionary, Alex Barbir at the center of a growing controversy in Nigeria has denied allegations that he was deported for inciting division and calling for violence.
In a statement posted on his social media handle on Monday, the missionary described claims attributed to a Nigerian government official as “false,” insisting he had no interaction with the official mentioned in the reports.
The allegation reportedly came from Abiodun Essiet, a Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu, who was cited as saying the missionary was asked to leave the country after allegedly creating division and calling for a “Rwanda-like genocide.”
The missionary strongly rejected the accusation, saying he had never spoken with Essiet and had never made such statements.
“If Abiodun Essiet made this statement, they are directly lying to the Nigerian and international community,” he wrote in the post. “I’ve never heard of this person, nor had conversation with them.”
He also said he had contacted the United States Embassy, which he claims denied that any official deportation process had taken place.
According to his statement, the embassy told him that deportation of a US citizen would typically involve diplomatic procedures through the embassy steps he says did not occur in his case.
The missionary further argued that if the allegation had indeed been made by a government official, it raised questions about accountability and integrity within the administration.
“I stand for truth. As a Christian I have no choice,” he wrote, referencing the Bible verse Isaiah 1:17: “Do good and seek justice.”
Earlier reports circulating online had suggested that Nigerian authorities removed the missionary from the country after accusing him of making inflammatory statements capable of inciting ethnic violence. However, official confirmation from the Nigerian government regarding the deportation details remains limited.
