• Identifies climate change-induced migration, banditry, illegal mining, poor governance as source of insecurity
• Accuses Ted Cruz, Riley Moore, of appealing to domestic evangelical base ahead of elections
• Wants Trump to withdraw ‘disgraced country’ appellation

The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) has firmly rejected claims of a “Christian genocide” in Nigeria, describing them as false, dangerous, and politically motivated attempts to destabilise the country.

Addressing journalists in Abuja on Sunday, the NSCIA, led by its leadership and General Purpose Committee, said the U.S. designation of Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) was an act of political cynicism driven by foreign lobbyists, separatists, and American evangelical interests.

The Council, in a statement signed by Professor Is-haq O. Oloyede, the Secretary General of the Council, said the violence in Nigeria is not religious but stems from a mix of ecological, criminal, and governance failures.

It identified climate change-induced migration, banditry, illegal mining, and poor governance as the true drivers of insecurity across the country, not religious persecution.

“There is no Christian genocide in Nigeria. There is no Muslim genocide. What we face is a national security crisis that affects all citizens regardless of faith,” the Council declared.

Citing reports by Amnesty International and the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED), the NSCIA said available data disproves any religious motive behind the killings, stressing that both Muslims and Christians are victims of terrorism, banditry, and intercommunal violence.

The statement also accused some U.S. politicians, including Senator Ted Cruz and Congressman Riley Moore, of using Nigeria’s security crisis to appeal to their domestic evangelical base ahead of elections, while local separatist movements like the “Biafra Republic Government In-Exile” were allegedly exploiting the genocide narrative to attract foreign sympathy and funding.

“These lobbyists and separatists are outspending the Nigerian government in Washington, flooding Capitol Hill with doctored videos and fake statistics,” the Council alleged.

The NSCIA also criticised U.S. President Donald Trump for reportedly calling Nigeria a “disgraced country”, urging him to retract the remark and instead assist Nigeria with intelligence, logistics, and capacity development to tackle insecurity.

It further linked the renewed CPC designation to Nigeria’s growing partnership with China, its economic recovery, and its support for Palestine at the United Nations, suggesting that the move was part of a broader geopolitical strategy to destabilise the country.

“This campaign escalated immediately after Nigeria reaffirmed its support for Palestine at the UN. The same far-right and pro-Israel actors promoting false genocide claims are seeking to distract from the real genocide in Gaza,” the Council said.

Commending patriotic Nigerians, including Femi Falana (SAN), Femi Fani-Kayode, and Governor Charles Soludo, for rejecting the genocide narrative, the NSCIA warned that false claims could ignite divisions capable of plunging Nigeria into chaos.

The Council reaffirmed solidarity with Christian citizens, describing them as compatriots and neighbours, and called for unity against insecurity and foreign manipulation.

“We will not be defined by this lie, and we will not allow our country to be fragmented by a foreign agenda,” the statement concluded.