I don’t believe there is ‘religious genocide’ in Nigeria – Mohammed Idris

The Minister for Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, has announced on Friday that the administration of President Bola Tinubu has recorded significant successes in the fight against insurgency, stating that over 13,000 terrorists have been killed and more than 17,000 apprehended since the inauguration in May 2023.

Idris shared the figures, which he credited to security agencies, during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today.

The Minister’s remarks followed a recent hearing by the United States House Subcommittee on Africa, where concerns were raised regarding Nigeria’s security situation and the possible redesignation of Nigeria as a ‘Country of Particular Concern’ due to allegations of targeted killings of Christians.

During the hearing, Representative Bill Huizenga reportedly accused the Tinubu government of downplaying persistent attacks on Christian communities.

In his defense of the administration’s efforts, Idris argued that substantial progress had been made against criminal elements and jihadists.

“From May of 2023 to date, over 13,500 of these criminals – these are figures from the security agencies – have been neutralised, or taken out of our society,” Idris stated. “Over 17,000 have been apprehended. Many of them, even as we speak today, some of them have had their days in court, some of them have been sentenced.”

The Minister stressed that the President was “deeply saddened” by the loss of life, regardless of faith, acknowledging that killings were occurring across the country.

However, Idris strongly contested the “characterisation” of the crisis as being solely aimed at one religious group.

He stated that the government does not believe there is religious genocide in Nigeria, stating, “What we are seeing is that people are being killed, Christians are being killed in some parts, just as Muslims are being killed. It’s a sad one. No one should be happy for that.”