Former Information Minister Lai Mohammed has pushed back against claims that Nigeria’s security crisis is a coordinated campaign against Christians, arguing that such narratives distort a far more complex reality.
Speaking to students in Cambridge, he challenged what he described as a growing international misconception about violence in Nigeria.
“People say there is religious persecution and genocide against Christians. That is not true. It is fake news,” he said.
According to Mohammed, the insurgency involving Boko Haram did not begin as an attack on Christians but as an internal revolt within the Muslim community. He noted that early victims were largely Muslims who supported Western education.
“At the beginning, the victims of Boko Haram were mostly Muslims, not Christians,” he explained, adding that the group initially opposed fellow Muslims they viewed as too aligned with Western values.
He argued that attacks on Christians came later as part of a strategy to attract global attention.
“They realised that when Muslims kill one another, it doesn’t generate attention. But attacks on Christians create international uproar,” he said.
Mohammed also dismissed claims that banditry in the country is driven by religion, insisting that both perpetrators and victims are often from the same faith background.
Highlighting Nigeria’s history of coexistence, he pointed to interfaith relationships and political leadership as evidence. He referenced President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a Muslim whose wife is a prominent Christian figure, as an example of religious harmony.
Overall, he maintained that Nigeria’s security challenges stem from broader social and political issues rather than a deliberate effort to target any religious group.