{"id":18324,"date":"2025-11-10T08:19:45","date_gmt":"2025-11-10T08:19:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thenewsnow.org\/?p=18324"},"modified":"2025-11-10T08:19:45","modified_gmt":"2025-11-10T08:19:45","slug":"there-is-no-christian-genocide-in-nigeria-nscia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thenewsnow.org\/index.php\/2025\/11\/10\/there-is-no-christian-genocide-in-nigeria-nscia\/","title":{"rendered":"THERE IS NO ‘CHRISTIAN GENOCIDE’ IN NIGERIA – NSCIA"},"content":{"rendered":"

Being the Text of a Press Conference Addressed by the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) on the recent designation of Nigeria as a \u201cCountry of Particular Concern\u201d by the United States of America<\/span><\/span> on Sunday, November 9<\/span><\/span>, 2025<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Distinguished <\/span><\/span>gentlemen<\/span><\/span> of the <\/span><\/span>press, <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Eminent members of <\/span><\/span>the diplomatic corps<\/span><\/span>,<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Ladies <\/span><\/span>and <\/span><\/span>gentlemen<\/span><\/span>,<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

I <\/span><\/span>say As-salaam \u2018<\/span><\/span>alaykum<\/span><\/span> as I <\/span><\/span>welcome you to this important <\/span><\/span>briefing.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

1. <\/span>The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA)<\/span><\/span>, following its Expanded General Purpose Committee (EGPC) meeting held earlier today,<\/span><\/span>convenes this <\/span><\/span>conference<\/span><\/span> on behalf of the Nigerian Muslim <\/span><\/span>Ummah<\/span><\/span> t<\/span><\/span>o<\/span><\/span> condemn<\/span><\/span> the recent threat against the sovereignty of our nation. <\/span><\/span>We have not been <\/span><\/span>emphasis<\/span><\/span>ing<\/span><\/span> the killing<\/span><\/span>s<\/span><\/span> of Muslims because we do not see it as a religious war, but a national security issue. <\/span><\/span>The world is aware that some <\/span><\/span>Islamophobic<\/span><\/span> and unpatriotic Nigerians had authored a <\/span><\/span>dangerous <\/span><\/span>script, promoted it in Western circles <\/span><\/span>especially in the United States <\/span><\/span>and got <\/span><\/span>the attention of <\/span><\/span>the highest levels of the United States government<\/span><\/span>,<\/span><\/span> which are erroneously<\/span><\/span>made to believe that there is a “Christian genocide” in Nigeria.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

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2. <\/span>When the U.S. President<\/span><\/span>, <\/span><\/span>Mr<\/span><\/span> Donald Trump<\/span><\/span> labeled our country “disgraced”<\/span><\/span>,<\/span><\/span> every right-thinking Nigerian was concerned because <\/span><\/span>an ally that is determined to help a sovereign country to \u201ccompletely wipe out the Islamic terrorists who are committing these horrible <\/span><\/span>atrocities<\/span><\/span>\u201d would offer to assist and collaborate with the country and not use such language to describe a country it aims to partner in wiping out the terrorists.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

While a number of countries <\/span><\/span>(e.g., China, Saudi Arabia, Myanmar) ha<\/span><\/span>ve<\/span><\/span> also been designated <\/span><\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/span>Countries of Particular Concern<\/span><\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span>, <\/span><\/span>the present context of \u201cwhat Nigeria will not like\u201d suggests that the plan is a pretext to <\/span><\/span>destabilise<\/span><\/span> our country<\/span><\/span>. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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3. <\/span>We reaffirm that there is no \u201cChristian genocide\u201d in Nigeria.<\/span><\/span> Under Article II of the 1948 United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide 9 and Article 6 of the Rome Statute 11, the crime <\/span><\/span>is defined<\/span><\/span> by a critical <\/span><\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/span>mental element<\/span><\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span> known as <\/span><\/span>dolus<\/span><\/span> specialis<\/span><\/span>. This is the specific <\/span><\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/span>intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such<\/span><\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span>. <\/span><\/span>There is nothing of such in Nigeria.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

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4. <\/span>For the avoidance of doubt, w<\/span><\/span>hat Nigeria faces is a complex<\/span><\/span> and tragic <\/span><\/span>perennial <\/span><\/span>security crisis that brings immeasurable pain to all its citizens<\/span><\/span>,<\/span><\/span> regardless of faith or ethnic persuasion<\/span><\/span>. <\/span><\/span>From <\/span><\/span>Katsina<\/span><\/span> to <\/span><\/span>Borno<\/span><\/span> and from Benue to Pla<\/span><\/span>teau<\/span><\/span>,<\/span><\/span> as well as in Kaduna<\/span><\/span> and <\/span><\/span>Kwara<\/span><\/span>, Nigeria bleed<\/span><\/span>s<\/span><\/span> through gruesome savagery against Muslims and Christians, Imams and priests. Non-partisan experts have refuted this blackmail and <\/span><\/span>Amnesty International, <\/span><\/span>which methodically <\/span><\/span>investigated the <\/span><\/span>insecurity in Nigeria<\/span><\/span>,<\/span><\/span> had <\/span><\/span>stated <\/span><\/span>that <\/span><\/span>there is <\/span><\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/span>no evidence of a religious motivation<\/span><\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span> to <\/span><\/span>characteri<\/span><\/span>s<\/span><\/span>e<\/span><\/span> it as genocide. According to <\/span><\/span>Isa <\/span><\/span>Sunusi<\/span><\/span>, the Director of Amnesty’s <\/span><\/span>Nigeria <\/span><\/span>programme<\/span><\/span>, <\/span><\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/span>I don’t think President Trump has any facts. I don’t think he has had a very good briefing about the nature of this conflict<\/span><\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span> Senior researchers like Samuel Malik of the pan-African think tank, Good Governance Africa, have <\/span><\/span>also <\/span><\/span>stated that<\/span><\/span> \u201c<\/span><\/span>there is no credible evidence of a state-led or coordinated campaign to exterminate Christians, which is what genocide is<\/span><\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span>. <\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

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5. <\/span>The <\/span><\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/span>genocide<\/span><\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span> claim completely collapses when confronted with <\/span><\/span>reality, context and <\/span><\/span>verifiable data. The Armed Conflict Locatio<\/span><\/span>n & Event Data Project (ACLED) <\/span><\/span>report <\/span><\/span>of<\/span><\/span> 2022 proves conclusively that the overwhelming driver of violence in Nigeria is not anti-Christian persecution<\/span><\/span>, as Muslims and people of other faiths are also overwhelmingly affected<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

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6. <\/span>While <\/span><\/span>President Trump and Senator Cruz name <\/span><\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/span>Radical Islamists<\/span><\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span> and <\/span><\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/span>Islamist Jihadists<\/span><\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span> as the culprits<\/span><\/span>, ISWAP and <\/span><\/span>Boko Haram<\/span><\/span>, the fact is that t<\/span><\/span>hese groups are <\/span><\/span>khawarij<\/span><\/span> (deviants)<\/span><\/span>, <\/span><\/span>whose<\/span><\/span> ideology <\/span><\/span>declares <\/span><\/span>Muslims who do not join them as<\/span><\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/span>dissident<\/span><\/span>s<\/span><\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span> Muslims are also their victims.<\/span><\/span> \u00a0As Amnesty International correctly stated, <\/span><\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/span>The jihadist groups kill both Muslims and Christians. They demolish Mosques and Churches. They don’t differentiate<\/span><\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span>. <\/span><\/span>These terrorists are not our representatives; they are our mortal enemies.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

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7. <\/span>The world knows <\/span><\/span>that some of the terrorist groups <\/span><\/span>being paraded<\/span><\/span> as <\/span><\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/span>Islamic<\/span><\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span> a<\/span><\/span>re creations of <\/span><\/span>non-Muslims<\/span><\/span>. <\/span><\/span>Fo<\/span><\/span>r instance, <\/span><\/span>it <\/span><\/span>is <\/span><\/span>publicly acknowledged<\/span><\/span>that the United Sta<\/span><\/span>tes of America created Al-Qaeda,<\/span><\/span>which is being projected as Islamic. \u00a0<\/span><\/span>Also<\/span><\/span>, a US Con<\/span><\/span>gressman, Scott Perry, testified<\/span><\/span> that<\/span><\/span> the<\/span><\/span> United States Agency for International Development (USAID) was financing the activities of Boko Haram and ot<\/span><\/span>her terrorist groups in Nigeria and elsewhere.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

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8. <\/span>If <\/span><\/span>the violence in some parts of Nigeria is <\/span><\/span>not religious, what <\/span><\/span>are<\/span><\/span> the real driver<\/span><\/span>s<\/span><\/span>? The first is ecological. As the International Crisis Group has detailed in multiple reports<\/span><\/span>,<\/span><\/span> how<\/span><\/span> relentless desertification and drought, products of climate change, have degraded pastures and dried up water sources in the far-northern <\/span><\/span>Sahelian<\/span><\/span>belt. This is not an <\/span><\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/span>Islamist invasion<\/span><\/span>\u201d; <\/span><\/span>it is a desperate southward migration of herders seeking survival.<\/span><\/span> This climate-driven migration forces herders into <\/span><\/span>direct,<\/span><\/span> and often violent competition with sedentary farming communities over dwindling resources of land and water. Historic grazing reserves have been lost to expanding settlements, and traditional conflict resolution mechanisms have eroded. This is the flashpoint for the farme<\/span><\/span>r-herder crisis in Plateau, Benue and other middle belt states in Northern Nigeria.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

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9. <\/span>The second driver is criminality. In the Northwest, <\/span><\/span>Northeast and Southea<\/span><\/span>st, <\/span><\/span>banditry <\/span><\/span>is <\/span><\/span>fueled<\/span><\/span> by the <\/span><\/span>overlapping factors<\/span><\/span> of<\/span><\/span> grinding poverty, mass youth unemployment, drug abuse<\/span><\/span>, porous borders<\/span><\/span> and the proliferation of small arms<\/span><\/span> and light weapons<\/span><\/span> over the decades<\/span><\/span>. Crucially, as researchers have noted, <\/span><\/span>it is also <\/span><\/span>d<\/span><\/span>riven by illicit artisanal <\/span><\/span>mining<\/span><\/span> of solid minerals<\/span><\/span>. Criminal syndicates and bandits sack villages and displace populations, creating an ungoverned space for their illegal mining operations. This is a violent, <\/span><\/span>organised<\/span><\/span> crime<\/span><\/span> racket for resources<\/span><\/span> and there is nothing Islamic about <\/span><\/span>it also<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span> In <\/span><\/span>Zamfara<\/span><\/span>, <\/span><\/span>Katsina<\/span><\/span>, <\/span><\/span>Sokoto<\/span><\/span> axis, Muslims have lost more than 1,200 souls to the same bandits who answer to crime, not tribe or faith.<\/span><\/span> The United States Department itself, in its 2022 Report on International Religious Freedom, stated that \u201cbanditry and other criminality, not animosity between particular religious groups\u2026 were the primary drivers\u201d of intercommunal violence. This is not a religious war. <\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

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10. <\/span>Then, we cannot gloss over how<\/span><\/span>, over a long period,<\/span><\/span>failure of governance has enabled violence in Nigeria. Studies have revealed how <\/span><\/span>endemic corruption, lack of accountability for human rights abuses and failure to provide basic security <\/span><\/span>for citizens <\/span><\/span>have<\/span><\/span>, over time,<\/span><\/span>created a vacuum <\/span><\/span>for<\/span><\/span> impunity. When the state fails to protect anyone, criminals and militias thrive. This is a <\/span><\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/span>massive state failure<\/span><\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span>, as some have called it, not a state-sponsored <\/span><\/span>\u201cg<\/span><\/span>enocide<\/span><\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

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11. <\/span>Who benefits from this lie? First, the<\/span><\/span>re are<\/span><\/span> foreign instigators<\/span><\/span>, especially <\/span><\/span>some <\/span><\/span>American<\/span><\/span> politicians who seek to <\/span><\/span>energi<\/span><\/span>s<\/span><\/span>e<\/span><\/span> their domestic evangelical base. We name Senator Ted Cruz, who falsely claims Nigeria is <\/span><\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/span>facilitating the mass murder of Christians<\/span><\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span>. We name Congressman Riley Moore, who pushes wildly unverified claims of “50,000-100,000” Christians murdered.<\/span><\/span> Their concern is not for Nigerians. Their concern is <\/span><\/span>about <\/span><\/span>votes in Texas and West Virginia<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span>These foreign actors <\/span><\/span>are aided and abetted by domestic instigators who have a clear political<\/span><\/span>\/ economic<\/span><\/span>, not religious, agenda<\/span><\/span>. We must identify <\/span><\/span>a <\/span><\/span>separatist group<\/span><\/span>like<\/span><\/span> “Biafra Republic Government In-Exile”. Regulatory filings in Washington, D.C., have shown that these <\/span><\/span>individual<\/span><\/span>s are outspending the Nigerian government on lobbyists. <\/span><\/span>And<\/span><\/span> what is their core message? The filings show they are <\/span><\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/span>focused on raising the issue of ‘Christian killings’ on Capitol Hill<\/span><\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span>. This is a political separatist group, <\/span><\/span>weaponising<\/span><\/span> a religious identity to achieve its goal: the <\/span><\/span>balkani<\/span><\/span>s<\/span><\/span>ation<\/span><\/span>and fragmentation of Nigeria.<\/span><\/span> These<\/span><\/span> lobbyists <\/span><\/span>who received <\/span><\/span>millions <\/span><\/span>of dollars<\/span><\/span> flood Washington with doctored videos and fake statistics.<\/span><\/span> They quote \u201c52,000 Christians killed since 2009\u201d<\/span><\/span>,<\/span><\/span> a number even Open Doors refuses to endorse<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

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12. <\/span>There is also, as we have previously <\/span><\/span>stated,<\/span><\/span> a network of Nigerian citizens at home and abroad who have <\/span><\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/span>found a big business in self-flagellation<\/span><\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span>. These crisis entrepreneurs <\/span><\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/span>exploit transactions in religious antipathy as easy pathways to global recognition and fame<\/span><\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span>. They fabricate or <\/span><\/span>decontextuali<\/span><\/span>s<\/span><\/span>e<\/span><\/span> claims of persecution to gain speaking tours, material gains, or preferential asylum status in the West. <\/span><\/span>The media is awash with evidence of some religious leaders and elite who originated the false claim for non-religious purposes. Some of them ignite and pretend to, at <\/span><\/span>the same time, extinguish fire. <\/span><\/span>We condemn these individuals<\/span><\/span> engaging in falsehood and acts that verge on treason<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

This is why the Council is extremely disappointed by the false proclamation of the CAN President, which has now shown clearly that the individuals who were propagating the falsehood were, in reality, playing the scripts of CAN.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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13. <\/span>We commend the principled stance of some patriotic and responsible Christians, including the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN)\u2019s Director of National Issues and Social Welfare, who <\/span><\/span>noted<\/span><\/span> th<\/span><\/span>us<\/span><\/span>:<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

Sometimes, our situation <\/span><\/span>is being taken<\/span><\/span>advantage of by groups who know what they benefit from foreign interests. Those foreign interests have a right to poke their nose into <\/span><\/span>what\u2019s<\/span><\/span> going on in our system, but we also have a right to report things as they are\u2026 <\/span><\/span>Also<\/span><\/span>, the spate of killings does not take any pattern. If they open fire in a marketplace, the bullets don\u2019t look for a <\/span><\/span>Christian or spare a Muslim<\/span><\/span> or even spare a baby. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

So<\/span><\/span>, all we must be doing now is adopt an all-of-society action to stop this insurgency and also address issues of groupthink. Why run to America when you have a Senate here where you can file your petition? In the end, when they place Nigeria as a country of particular interest, all of us will suffer. <\/span><\/span>But<\/span><\/span> those who run abroad to look for sympathy know why they do that.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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14. <\/span>For being factual,<\/span><\/span> we also commend<\/span><\/span> individuals like <\/span><\/span>Mr<\/span><\/span> Femi <\/span><\/span>Falana<\/span><\/span>, SAN, Chief Femi <\/span><\/span>Fani-Kayode<\/span><\/span>, Reno <\/span><\/span>Omokri<\/span><\/span> and<\/span><\/span> Gov. Charles <\/span><\/span>Chukwuma<\/span><\/span> Soludo<\/span><\/span>, among<\/span><\/span> numerous <\/span><\/span>other Christians for their <\/span><\/span>sincerity, while we <\/span><\/span>denounce irresponsible bigots in religious garbs and ethnic irredentists who fail to <\/span><\/span>realise<\/span><\/span> that you <\/span><\/span>don\u2019t<\/span><\/span> cut off your nose to spite your face. The citizens that <\/span><\/span>falsely concoct <\/span><\/span>a genocide claim<\/span><\/span>, which is capable of igniting divisions and religious war that can turn the country into a <\/span><\/span>battlefield<\/span><\/span> field are neither patriotic nor<\/span><\/span> Godly.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

C<\/span><\/span>ountries like Iraq, Libya, Syria, etc. are worse off today because bombs <\/span><\/span>don\u2019t<\/span><\/span> discriminate destruction. \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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15. <\/span>Meanwhile, t<\/span><\/span>he U.S. government’s re-imposition of the <\/span><\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/span>Country of Particular Concern<\/span><\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span> (CPC) designation <\/span><\/span>on Nigeria <\/span><\/span>is an act of political cynicism. <\/span><\/span>This is the same designation <\/span><\/span>place<\/span><\/span>d<\/span><\/span> on China and Russia. This designation <\/span><\/span>of Nigeria <\/span><\/span>was lifted<\/span><\/span> by the previous U.S.<\/span><\/span> administration in 2023<\/span><\/span> when the USA acknowledged<\/span><\/span> the complex reality. Its re-imposition by President Trump <\/span><\/span>is not based<\/span><\/span> on new facts<\/span><\/span>:<\/span><\/span> it is a political tool, wielded by lobbyists, and it cheapens the very idea of <\/span><\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/span>religious freedom.<\/span><\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

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16. <\/span>Since independence, Nigeria has walked within the circle of non-aligned nations, free to choose partners for mutual benefits. As such, Nigeria <\/span><\/span>has always extended<\/span><\/span> a welcome to all, to China as to Africa\u2019s broader family. We have many opportunities to harness from diplomatic diversification, with each relationship <\/span><\/span>moulding<\/span><\/span> a building block in our development project or offering a pathway towards our national interest. <\/span><\/span>It is quite troubling to note that our progressive relationship with China<\/span><\/span>,<\/span><\/span> our economic recovery<\/span><\/span>,<\/span><\/span> and the increase in our domestic oil refining capacity, which has reduced importation of fuel to the barest minimum, have suddenly attracted <\/span><\/span>this unsavory development<\/span><\/span>. <\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

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17. <\/span>So<\/span><\/span>, <\/span><\/span>there is <\/span><\/span>a clear picture: <\/span><\/span>some <\/span><\/span>U.S. politicians seeking domestic votes<\/span><\/span>;<\/span><\/span> U.S. evangelical groups pushing an ideological agenda; Nigerian separatists pushing for fragmentation; and domestic profiteers seeking personal gain<\/span><\/span> are behind this <\/span><\/span>saber-rattling<\/span><\/span>. This is not a human rights campaign<\/span><\/span>;<\/span><\/span> i<\/span><\/span>t is a coordinated information operation.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

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18. <\/span>To buttress this point, we<\/span><\/span> must ask the most important question: “Why now?” Why this sudden, intense focus on Nigeria? The answer lies in geopolitics. This campaign escalated immediately after Nigeria, at the 80th session of the UN General Assembly, reaffirmed its principled <\/span><\/span>and <\/span><\/span>consistent support for a two-state solution and for the solidarity of the Palestinian people.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

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19. <\/span>It is important to note that t<\/span><\/span>his narrative<\/span><\/span> of genocide<\/span><\/span> is <\/span><\/span>also being driven<\/span><\/span> by <\/span><\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/span>far-right and pro-Israel actors<\/span><\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span>. The goal is to create a distraction<\/span><\/span>, <\/span><\/span>a cynical, despicable “<\/span><\/span>whataboutism<\/span><\/span>” designed to deflect from the actual genocide being perpetrated in Gaza. They seek to create a false moral equivalence, screaming about an imaginary <\/span><\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/span>Christian genocide<\/span><\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span> by Muslims in Nigeria to drown out the world’s condemnation of a real, documented genocide of Muslims in Palestine.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

Notwithstanding<\/span><\/span> the fact that there are over 1<\/span><\/span>,<\/span><\/span>000 Christians in Gaza, yet, <\/span><\/span>the United States <\/span><\/span>continues to support the <\/span><\/span>globally-condemned<\/span><\/span> genocide against Palestinians. The same <\/span><\/span>USA that <\/span><\/span>is currently planning to invade Venezuela, a country where Christians constitute 80% of its population, <\/span><\/span>has <\/span><\/span>suddenly bec<\/span><\/span>o<\/span><\/span>me the <\/span><\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/span>messiah<\/span><\/span> of the Nigerian Christians.<\/span><\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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20. <\/span>The ultimate agenda is not just distraction; it is <\/span><\/span>destabilisation<\/span><\/span>. Our own Foreign Minister, Yusuf <\/span><\/span>Tuggar<\/span><\/span>, has warned the world, in plain terms, “We should not create another Sudan” in Nigeria. The United States is well aware that stoking religious division is the fastest and most effective way to <\/span><\/span>destabili<\/span><\/span>s<\/span><\/span>e<\/span><\/span> a multi-ethnic, multi-religious nation of over 2<\/span><\/span>2<\/span><\/span>0 million people<\/span><\/span> like Nigeria<\/span><\/span>. They are using these <\/span><\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/span>tools of foreign manipulation<\/span><\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span> to fragment Nigeria from within, setting the stage for our co<\/span><\/span>llapse, just as it is being planned for South Africa.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

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21. <\/span>This agenda <\/span><\/span>is not hidden<\/span><\/span>. We <\/span><\/span>refer <\/span><\/span>to a recent op-ed from the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), a prominent U.S. foreign policy think tank. In this article, the author, Michael Rubin, asks two questions in the same breath. First: “Is there a Christian genocide?” <\/span><\/span>And second<\/span><\/span>: “Just as Somaliland\u2019s independence has become a U.S. national interest, would <\/span><\/span>Biafran<\/span><\/span> independence also augment regional security?” <\/span><\/span>The<\/span><\/span> geopolitical objective<\/span><\/span> is the fragmentation of Nigeria to achieve the avowed mission of the separatists<\/span><\/span>, in line with the IPOB agenda.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

While the NSCIA stands for and promotes equity and fairness, let nobody be under illusion that Muslims would allow themselves to be further decimated and further under-represented through a subterfuge aimed at further increasing the Christian representation in federal appointments from<\/span><\/span> the publicly acknowledged 62% (or <\/span><\/span>heads of armed and security forces <\/span><\/span>already predominantly Christian),<\/span><\/span> and where <\/span><\/span>Islamophobic<\/span><\/span>po<\/span><\/span>licies, such<\/span><\/span> as recently enacted by the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM), would be the norm.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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22. <\/span>We turn<\/span><\/span> to our <\/span><\/span>genuine <\/span><\/span>Christian brothers and sisters. You are not our enemies; you are our compatriots<\/span><\/span>, colleagues and <\/span><\/span>neighbours<\/span><\/span>. We are both, <\/span><\/span>over a long period, <\/span><\/span>Muslim and Christian, victims of a failed security architecture<\/span><\/span> and a brutal criminal insurgency that targets us all.<\/span><\/span> We have never denied <\/span><\/span>our <\/span><\/span>collective <\/span><\/span>pain.<\/span><\/span> Do not let foreign politic<\/span><\/span>al gladiators<\/span><\/span> or domestic separatists use <\/span><\/span>our real pain to destroy our shared home. We are both, as President Bola Ahmed <\/span><\/span>Tinubu<\/span><\/span>has rightly said, committed to a Nigeria where <\/span><\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/span>religious freedom and tolerance<\/span><\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span> are the <\/span><\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/span>core tenet of our collective identity<\/span><\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span>. We, as Muslims, stand with you against all violence, against all criminality, and against all terror.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

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23. <\/span>We affirm that there is no Christian genocide in Nigeria. There is no Muslim genocide in Nigeria.<\/span><\/span>There is no religious intolerance in Nigeria.<\/span><\/span> The Nigerian tragedy is that of poverty, climate change, <\/span><\/span>bad<\/span><\/span> governance<\/span><\/span> over time<\/span><\/span>, and armed criminals who kill indiscriminately while <\/span><\/span>a section of the<\/span><\/span> world seeks to exploit <\/span><\/span>the situation <\/span><\/span>for geopolitical profit.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

\n

24. <\/span>We call on the international community and the press gathered here to reject this false, dangerous, and <\/span><\/span>destabilising<\/span><\/span> narrative. <\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

\n

25. <\/span>We call on the Nigerian government to redouble its efforts to protect all its citizens, regardless of faith, <\/span><\/span>destroy the bandits and terrorists, expose and<\/span><\/span> hold the domestic instigators of this divisive lie accountable<\/span><\/span>,<\/span><\/span>and shame the fo<\/span><\/span>reign lobbyists against Nigeria<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span> We commend the resolve of the government to, with dignity and <\/span><\/span>honour<\/span><\/span>, engage the USA and the rest of the international community on how to eliminate terrorism and banditry in Nigeria and<\/span><\/span>,<\/span><\/span><\/a> indeed, in the sub-region.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

\n

26. <\/span>We urge President Trump to <\/span><\/span>retract<\/span><\/span> branding Nigeria a \u201cdisgraced country\u201d<\/span><\/span> and <\/span><\/span>rather assist the Nation with credible intelligence<\/span><\/span>, critical logistics and human <\/span><\/span>capacity development to enable the country overcome insecurity in different parts of Nigeria<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span> Genuine assistance requires partnership, not unilateral actions, which <\/span><\/span>might, even if inadvertent, fragment<\/span><\/span> the Nigerian Nation.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

\n

27. <\/span>And<\/span><\/span> we state to the world, as a unified Nigerian Muslim <\/span><\/span>Ummah<\/span><\/span>: <\/span><\/span>w<\/span><\/span>e will not be defined by this lie<\/span><\/span> and<\/span><\/span>w<\/span><\/span>e will not<\/span><\/span> accept that <\/span><\/span>our country <\/span><\/span>be<\/span><\/span> fragmen<\/span><\/span>t<\/span><\/span>ed by a foreign agenda<\/span><\/span>. <\/span><\/span>As a people of faith, w<\/span><\/span>e believe that t<\/span><\/span>he truth will prevail<\/span><\/span> and o<\/span><\/span>ur unity <\/span><\/span>as a nation <\/span><\/span>will endure.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

\n

Thank you.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Being the Text of a Press Conference Addressed by the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) on the recent<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":18140,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18324","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thenewsnow.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18324","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thenewsnow.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thenewsnow.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thenewsnow.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thenewsnow.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18324"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thenewsnow.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18324\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18325,"href":"https:\/\/thenewsnow.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18324\/revisions\/18325"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thenewsnow.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18140"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thenewsnow.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18324"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thenewsnow.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18324"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thenewsnow.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18324"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}