October 31, 2025
Anamati Inyang- Uyo, Nigeria
The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, has dismissed reports alleging that thousands of Christians are being killed in Nigeria, describing such claims as a gross exaggeration.
Onanuga was reacting on Saturday to a post by the United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, who accused radical Islamists and Fulani militias of carrying out mass killings of Christians in Nigeria.
Rubio had written on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday: “The ongoing slaughter of thousands of Christians in Nigeria by radical Islamists and Fulani ethnic militias is both tragic and unacceptable.
As @POTUS said, the United States stands ready, willing, and able to act.”
His comment came shortly after the White House announced the designation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern over alleged violations of religious freedom.
Reacting, Onanuga insisted that insecurity in Nigeria is not driven by religion but by criminality, adding that both Christians and Muslims have suffered attacks across the country.
“What our country requires from America is military support to fight these violent extremists in some states, not a designation as a nation of particular concern,” he stated.
In another response to Rubio, Onanuga wrote, “Secretary Rubio, Muslim lives matter too.”
Earlier, the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, had rejected the U.S. designation, describing it as misleading and unfair.
The ministry maintained that the security challenges facing Nigeria stem from banditry, terrorism, and other criminal acts not religious persecution. It emphasized that both faith communities have been victims of violence and that the Nigerian government remains committed to protecting the rights and freedoms of all citizens, regardless of religion.
