The Director General of the National Orientation Agency, Lanre Issa-Onilu, has dismissed claims of a Christian genocide in Nigeria, stating that he was certain the United States had committed “another error in their intelligence gathering.”
The DG made the statement in response to Nigeria’s redesignation as a “Country of Particular Concern” by the United States government, a move that came after US President Donald Trump publicly accused Nigerian authorities of turning a blind eye to the killing of Christians.
In a post on his Truth Social platform over the weekend, Trump alleged that the Nigerian government had failed to protect Christians from persecution, declaring that the United States would “stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria” and might enter the country “guns a-blazing” if the killings continued.
However, Issa-Onilu, speaking during the monthly joint security press briefing held at the NOA headquarters in Abuja on Monday, said the allegations were false and unfair to Nigeria, arguing that even the US was aware that there was no systematic persecution of Christians in the country.
“Let me speak specifically to some of the import of the tweet. One is to say that the Christian genocide in Nigeria, I’m sure even America knows that is not true. This is not the first time that the intelligence of the United States has failed America.
“It failed them in Iraq. It turned out that there were no weapons of mass destruction, and they apologised. It failed them in Libya and many other instances. So I’m sure this is another error in their intelligence gathering,” Issa-Onilu added.
The NOA boss further stated that the recent shake-up among Nigeria’s security chiefs demonstrated that the country was working seriously to strengthen its internal security and address communal and religious violence.
“A country that is not working seriously on the issue of security will not take such drastic steps as the President just took last week, changing the top echelons of the military to ensure that the system is rejigged and empowered to do more,” he said.
Issa-Onilu disclosed that the National Security Adviser and the newly appointed service chiefs were expected to brief the media later on Monday afternoon from the Office of the National Security Adviser, where they would “provide an adequate response to the allegations of genocide.”
The United States first designated Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern in 2020, under the International Religious Freedom Act, citing what it described as the government’s failure to protect religious freedom and prevent attacks against minority groups.
The designation was later lifted in 2021 under President Joe Biden, following diplomatic engagements between both countries.
However, the latest redesignation has reignited debate over Nigeria’s human rights record and the accuracy of US intelligence assessments regarding religious violence in Africa’s most populous nation.
The Federal Government has consistently maintained that it is committed to protecting all citizens regardless of faith, citing recent counterterrorism operations and community peace-building initiatives as evidence of its efforts.
