On October 5, 2025, a heated debate ignited across international and Nigerian media after prominent Western voices accused Nigeria of perpetrating a “Christian genocide.” The controversy began with high-profile statements from American television host Bill Maher and CNN commentator Van Jones, both using their platforms to claim that Nigeria is witnessing systematic violence against its Christian population. Their remarks were quickly echoed by U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, a vocal advocate for Christian Zionism, who announced plans to introduce legislation aimed at protecting Christians in Nigeria. Just two days prior, the Canadian Parliament passed a resolution declaring Nigeria one of the most dangerous places in the world for Christians, alleging that Christians are targeted and slaughtered daily across the country.
For many Nigerians, these accusations have been both alarming and perplexing. Former Minister of Aviation and political leader Femi Fani-Kayode responded publicly, urging his compatriots to look beyond the surface of Western concern. According to Fani-Kayode, the sudden wave of international attention is less about genuine compassion and more about advancing hidden agendas. He pointedly questioned, as reported by TheCable, “Since when have the Americans and the West cared about anyone but themselves—least of all, the Christians in our country?”
The timing of this narrative, he argued, is suspicious. Fani-Kayode contends that the West’s heightened focus on Nigeria’s religious violence is intended to shift global attention away from the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict in Gaza. He claims that Nigeria’s bold condemnation of the violence in Gaza at the United Nations—where the Nigerian Vice President denounced what he called genocide and reaffirmed support for a two-state solution—has made the country a target for Western ire. “Standing up for humanity is our ‘crime,’” Fani-Kayode wrote, describing Nigeria’s statement at the UN as its “proudest moment and finest hour.”
But what about the core of the allegations? Is there truly a “Christian genocide” underway in Nigeria? Fani-Kayode acknowledges that Christians have indeed been targeted and killed in large numbers by Islamist terrorist groups like Boko Haram and ISWAP over the past 14 years. However, he insists this is only part of the story. “It is equally true that just as many Muslims have been targeted and killed by these same terrorists over the same period,” he stated, emphasizing that the violence is not exclusive to one faith. According to his accounts, both Christian and Muslim communities have suffered devastating losses in regions plagued by terrorism.
He went further, accusing Western and Israeli actors of bearing partial responsibility for the crisis. Fani-Kayode claims that these same foreign powers—now vocal in their condemnation—were instrumental in establishing, arming, funding, and even protecting the terrorist groups now ravaging Nigeria. He recalled, “They refused to sell arms to us or allow us to buy weapons elsewhere in our attempt to resist the terrorists. Remember that? They even refused to designate Boko Haram as a terrorist organisation for many years until it suited their purpose.”
This assertion, if true, paints a far more complex picture than that presented by Western commentators. Fani-Kayode warns that framing the violence as a “Christian genocide” is not only misleading but dangerous. He fears that such a narrative could deepen religious and ethnic divides within Nigeria, alienate the Muslim population, and ultimately swell the ranks of terrorist organizations. “If this falsehood persists, it will swell the ranks of Boko Haram and ISWAP, alienate Muslims, deepen religious and ethnic divides, and eventually lead to chaos and carnage—the likes of which Nigeria has never seen,” he cautioned.
His concerns are not merely theoretical. Drawing on personal experience, Fani-Kayode recounted a 2020 tour of northern Nigeria, visiting states such as Zamfara, Sokoto, Katsina, Kaduna, Yobe, Borno, Bauchi, Adamawa, and Gombe. There, he witnessed firsthand the devastation wrought on both Christian and Muslim communities. “In Zamfara, Sokoto, Katsina, Kaduna, Yobe, Borno, Bauchi, Adamawa, and Gombe, I saw Muslim communities wiped out just like Christian ones,” he reported. He also described similar scenes in the Middle Belt, where both Christian and Muslim villages have been destroyed, and in predominantly Muslim states like Niger, Kwara, Nasarawa, and Kogi, which have suffered attacks as severe as those in predominantly Christian states such as Benue, Plateau, and Taraba.
For Fani-Kayode, these experiences shattered the notion that only Christians are being targeted. He reflected, “From that moment, I took an oath before God and man to speak out against atrocities committed against both Christians and Muslims alike—because to do otherwise would be dishonest and irresponsible.” He now urges all Nigerians to accept that they are “victims of the same evil,” regardless of faith. The real enemy, he argues, is not Islam, but the terrorists themselves, whom he describes as “a heinous, ISIS-inspired, Al-Qaeda-like band of terrorists and criminals who take pleasure in killing people of every faith.”
The former minister acknowledges that international concern about Nigeria’s security crisis is not inherently unwelcome. “There is nothing wrong with them wanting to help Nigeria fight terrorism, and neither is there anything wrong with showing concern,” he wrote. However, he draws a sharp line at what he sees as the propagation of a divisive and destructive narrative. “We welcome concern from abroad, but we reject falsehood and division.”
Fani-Kayode’s message is clear: the solution to Nigeria’s ongoing crisis lies in unity, not division. He calls on Nigerians of all faiths to join forces against the common threat of terrorism, rather than succumbing to external attempts to pit one group against another. “We must join hands as Nigerians to reaffirm our unity, our plurality of faiths, and our shared national destiny. We must resist this insidious attempt to divide us with a false narrative that could push us over the edge.”
As Nigeria faces mounting international scrutiny and internal challenges, the path forward remains fraught with danger and complexity. Yet, as Fani-Kayode’s account demonstrates, the stakes are too high for simplistic narratives or external meddling. The violence in Nigeria, he insists, is a tragedy for all Nigerians—Christian and Muslim alike—and only a united front can hope to end the cycle of terror and bloodshed.
In the end, the debate over Nigeria’s crisis is more than a war of words; it is a struggle for the nation’s soul, with unity and truth standing as its best hope for peace.