The government says it is not biased against Christians or any religious group in Nigeria.
Minister Mohammed Idris insists insecurity affects everyone and warns against divisive narratives.
Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, has refuted claims that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration is biased against Christians or any religious group in the country.
Speaking during an interview with CNN on Tuesday night, Idris insisted that Nigeria upholds the right to freedom of religion as guaranteed by the constitution. He dismissed assertions by some foreign officials suggesting that terrorists mainly target Christians.
He said such claims were based on faulty data and failed to reflect the complex nature of insecurity across the country.
“Yes, there are Christians being attacked, but these criminals do not only target one religion. They target Christians and they target Muslims. We have seen that especially in the northern part of the country,” the Minister said.
Idris warned that portraying Nigeria as divided along religious lines could play into the agenda of violent groups trying to push a narrative of conflict between Christians and Muslims.
He argued that Nigeria remains a tolerant nation where people of different faiths coexist peacefully, and stressed that describing the whole country as unsafe was an unfair generalization.
The Minister acknowledged existing security challenges but maintained that the government is taking strong actions to ensure nationwide safety.
“There is a massive drive by the government to ensure Nigeria is ultimately safe for everyone,” he added.
