Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, has dismissed claims by a civil society group alleging a large-scale genocide against Christians in the country.
Speaking during an appearance on Piers Morgan’s show on Tuesday, Tuggar challenged statistics presented by the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety), which claimed that more than 50,000 Christians have been killed and 18,000 churches destroyed across Nigeria since 2009.
The minister described the figures as “inaccurate” and faulted the framing of Nigeria’s security crisis along religious lines. Tuggar said the government does not classify victims of attacks by their faith but views all Nigerians equally.
Pressed by Morgan to provide verified data, Tuggar stated that within the last five years, 177 Christians had been killed, 98 injured, and seven abducted. He added that 102 churches had been attacked during the same period.
“In the last five years, I can categorically tell you that 177 Christians have been killed. The number of those injured is 98, while seven were abducted,” he said. “We are not hiding any facts, but as I said, we don’t go about trying to identify a Nigerian’s faith when they have lost their lives.”
Tuggar also noted that 52 churches were attacked in the last two years and stressed that mosques have similarly been targeted, underscoring that insecurity in Nigeria affects multiple communities regardless of religion.
“Nigeria is configured in a way that you have Muslim and Christian populations across the country,” he said, urging international observers to adopt a more nuanced and accurate understanding of the nation’s complex security challenges.
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