𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐦𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐞𝐱𝐚𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 — 𝐎𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐠𝐚

The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, has dismissed reports claiming that thousands of Christians are being killed in Nigeria, describing such assertions as a gross exaggeration.

Onanuga made the remark on Saturday in response to a post by the United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, who alleged that radical Islamists and Fulani militias were responsible for the “ongoing slaughter of thousands of Christians” in Nigeria.

Rubio had written on X on Friday that the killings were “tragic and unacceptable,” stating that the United States was ready to act. His comments followed Washington’s designation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern over alleged religious freedom violations.

Responding through his official X handle, Onanuga countered Rubio’s claims, saying, “Dear Secretary Rubio, there is no ongoing slaughter of thousands of Christians in Nigeria. This is a gross exaggeration of the Nigerian situation. What we do have are sporadic attacks on some villages by bandits and terrorists, and the attacks are religiously insensitive. Christians, Muslims, churches, and mosques are attacked randomly.”

He further stressed that insecurity in Nigeria is not driven by religion, adding that both Christians and Muslims have suffered from violent attacks.

“What our country requires from America is military support to fight these violent extremists in some states of our country, not designation as a nation of particular concern,” he said, later adding, “Secretary Rubio, Muslim lives matter too.”

The Federal Government, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, also rejected the U.S. designation, describing it as misleading and unfair. It maintained that Nigeria’s insecurity stems from criminality and banditry rather than religious persecution, insisting that the rights and freedoms of all faiths remain protected.