Former Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has dismissed claims of a targeted genocide against Christians in Nigeria, describing the narrative as false and misleading.
Speaking in the United Kingdom during an interactive session with students of Abbey College Cambridge, Mohammed insisted that Nigeria’s security crisis is far more complex than it is often portrayed, and not driven by any deliberate campaign against a particular religion.
“There should be more understanding on the part of the developed world. Now, people say that there is religious persecution in Nigeria and that there is genocide against Christians. It’s not true. It is fake news,” he said.
“Nigeria as a country has challenges that will not be resolved by genocide against any religion.”
He explained that Boko Haram initially emerged as a sect targeting Muslims who embraced Western education, noting that its early victims were predominantly Muslims.
“At the beginning, the victims of Boko Haram were largely Muslims, not Christians. Boko Haram started as a revolt by extreme Muslims against conventional Muslims like me,” he said.
“Look at the meaning of Boko Haram — ‘haram’ means forbidden or illicit, ‘boko’ means Western education. So for Boko Haram, I, Lai Mohammed, having gone to school, I am an enemy.”
According to him, the group later expanded its attacks to Christians as a strategy to attract global attention.
“They realised that Muslims killing one another doesn’t gain traction. When Muslims start killing Christians, it causes an uproar. That is the honest truth,” he said.
Mohammed also rejected claims linking banditry to religion, arguing that both perpetrators and victims often share the same faith and ethnicity.
“The bandits are Muslims, they are Hausa-Fulanis. Their victims are Muslims; they are Hausa-Fulanis. So how can you now talk about religion? It has nothing to do with religion,” he said.
He maintained that available records show Muslims account for the highest number of victims of insurgent violence in the country, stressing that Nigeria remains largely tolerant in matters of faith.
“We have a spirit of religious tolerance in Nigeria and I challenge anyone to say that it is not true. People can hide under anything to commit crime but one, it is not a policy. Number two, the average Nigerian is not bothered about your religion or ethnicity,” he said.
“In Nigeria, the average Muslim and Christian, they only disagree over money. They won’t disagree over theology. They are more concerned about the economy and ways of life. That is why you have many Christians marrying Muslims and vice versa.
“Look at our president, Bola Tinubu. He is a Muslim while the wife is a leader of Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG). That is the Nigeria I know and I am very proud of.
“So, this narrative about Christian genocide, it is not true and we must vigorously use public communication to challenge it.”
