PFN Reiterates Claim of Christian Genocide in Nigeria; Islamic Council Counters, Says It’s a Security Crisis

The Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) has maintained that a “Christian genocide” is ongoing in parts of the country, describing any denial of it as a “desecration.”

PFN President, Bishop Francis Oke, speaking in Ibadan, said the frequency and scale of attacks on Christians in northern Nigeria “can no longer be debated.”

According to him, “Where is Leah Sharibu? What happened to the Chibok girls? Chibok is a predominantly Christian community in Borno State. What is going on in Benue and Plateau States? Since Donald Trump raised concerns over genocide in Nigeria, more killings have followed.”

Bishop Oke stressed that the PFN was not accusing Muslims in general but condemning extremist sects like Boko Haram and ISWAP that “use the name of Islam to attack churches.”

“It would be a desecration to the blood of these Nigerians to call it any other name. Hundreds of churches have been burnt, tens of thousands of Christians massacred, and hundreds of pastors butchered,” he said.
He further decried the abduction and forced marriages of Christian girls in the North, saying, “This is something consuming our country and staining our global image. The patience of the Church is being stretched.”

The PFN leader referenced attacks in Benue, Plateau, Southern Kaduna, Taraba, and the Owo church massacre, insisting that “there is no controversy about whether there is genocide against the church and Christians in Nigeria.”

However, the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) strongly rejected the PFN’s claims, saying Nigeria’s challenges are rooted in insecurity, not religion.

Speaking in Abuja, the NSCIA Secretary-General, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, described the “Christian genocide” narrative as “false, politically motivated, and harmful to national unity.”

“We have not been emphasising the killings of Muslims, not because they are not happening, but because this is not a religious war. It’s a national security issue,” he said.

Prof. Oloyede also criticised former U.S. President Donald Trump and some Western organisations for “misrepresenting Nigeria’s security crisis as religious persecution.”

“It is unfortunate that Trump and his associates have been misled to label our country as a place of religious genocide. This language is dangerous and undermines Nigeria’s fight against terrorism,” he said.

The NSCIA accused foreign lobbyists of “exploiting insecurity for political and financial gain,” alleging that “fabricated figures and doctored videos” were being used abroad to spread false persecution narratives.

According to Oloyede, “This is not a holy war. It’s a crisis of survival — driven by poverty, environmental collapse, and criminal opportunism.”