‘Hands Off Nigeria’: NSCIA Dismisses U.S. ‘Genocide’ Allegations, Warns Against Foreign Interference

The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) has strongly rejected claims by the United States and some Western organisations alleging that Christians are victims of genocide in Nigeria, describing the accusations as false, politically motivated, and dangerous to national unity.

Addressing journalists in Abuja on Sunday, the Secretary-General of the NSCIA, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, said the council’s position followed an expanded meeting of its General Purpose Committee, which reviewed recent diplomatic and security developments affecting the country.

Oloyede stated that the council, which represents all Islamic organisations in Nigeria, had resolved to condemn foreign interference and reject attempts to frame Nigeria’s complex insecurity as a religious conflict.

“We have not been emphasising the killings of Muslims, not because we are unaware that Muslims are being killed, but because we do not see what is happening as a religious war. This is a national security issue, not a religious one,” Oloyede said.

The NSCIA warned that some American evangelical groups and right-wing politicians were deliberately promoting misinformation to justify intervention in Nigeria’s internal affairs.

According to Oloyede, several reports circulated in Western media, especially in the U.S., have created a misleading impression that Christians are being systematically targeted.

“It is unfortunate that U.S. President Donald Trump and some of his associates have been misled to label our country as a place of religious genocide. Such language is dangerous, unfair, and undermines the efforts of a sovereign nation fighting terrorism,” he said.

Oloyede stressed that Nigeria’s security challenges are driven by poverty, unemployment, climate change, and criminality, not religion. He cited findings from Amnesty International and the International Crisis Group that attribute violence in northern and central Nigeria to environmental degradation, displacement, and competition for scarce resources.

“This is not a holy war. It is a crisis of survival—driven by poverty, environmental collapse, and criminal opportunism,” he added.

The council accused foreign lobbyists and separatist sympathisers of exploiting insecurity for political and financial gain, alleging that they spread doctored videos and fake statistics to support claims of Christian persecution and secure asylum or funding abroad.

“These lobbyists flood Washington with fabricated figures of Christian deaths to attract sympathy and funding. This is a betrayal of our nation,” Oloyede alleged.

He further criticised the U.S. State Department’s decision to re-designate Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern (CPC)”, calling it an act of political cynicism aimed at pressuring Nigeria over its independent foreign policy—especially after the country reaffirmed support for Palestinian statehood at the United Nations.

“The so-called genocide narrative is being pushed by far-right and pro-Israeli actors. Their goal is to distract attention from the real genocide in Gaza and to punish Nigeria for standing with justice,” he said.

Oloyede reaffirmed that Nigeria’s partnerships with countries such as China and Saudi Arabia were legitimate diplomatic choices, not religious alignments, and warned Western nations against using such relations as a pretext for hostility.

He also dismissed calls from some foreign quarters to abolish Sharia law, stressing that Nigeria’s Constitution recognises three legal systems—Common Law, Customary Law, and Sharia Law—each applicable only to its adherents.

“It is irrational to demand that Sharia be abolished before Nigeria can be accepted internationally. Sharia applies only to Muslims, just as Christian marriage laws apply to Christians. This is constitutional and fair,” he stated.

Reiterating NSCIA’s commitment to peace and unity, Oloyede urged both Muslims and Christians to resist divisive narratives and stand together against insecurity and poverty.

“We tell our Christian brothers and sisters: you are not our enemies. We are joint victims of failed governance and criminal insurgency that targets all Nigerians without distinction,” he declared.

The NSCIA called on the Federal Government to sustain diplomatic engagement with the U.S. but insisted that any assistance must respect Nigeria’s sovereignty.

“No country has the right to threaten invasion or impose itself under the guise of religious protection. Genuine help must come through partnership, not interference,” Oloyede concluded.

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