Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, firmly disputed allegations of systematic persecution of Christians in Nigeria during a heated interview on the Piers Morgan programme aired on Tuesday. The discussion intensified when former Canadian lawmaker Goldie Ghamari joined the conversation, accusing the Nigerian government of failing to protect Christian citizens. Okay News reports.
Tuggar challenged the statistics referenced by Morgan, which were based on data from the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety). The figures suggested that over 50,000 Christians had been killed and 18,000 churches destroyed in Nigeria since 2009. “Those numbers are not accurate,” Tuggar asserted, emphasizing that the Nigerian government does not classify victims by religion but treats all citizens equally.
When pressed by Morgan for official figures, Tuggar revealed that in the past five years, 177 Christians had been killed and 102 churches attacked. “It is critical to present the truth and not allow numbers to be used as a tool to misrepresent our country,” he stated.
The discussion escalated when Ghamari claimed the violence in Nigeria amounted to Jihad, linking it to the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel. “I do not have to be familiar with the Constitution of Nigeria to know that when someone yells ‘Allahu Akbar’ before they massacre 200 Christians and burn Christian churches, that is not just banditry. That is jihad,” she said. Ghamari also alleged connections between the Nigerian government and the Islamic Republic of Iran, raising concerns about school children holding images of Iran’s Ayatollah.
Tuggar dismissed Ghamari’s remarks as baseless and misinformed. “She reduces Nigerian lives to talking points and fails to understand our political realities,” he said. He explained that Nigeria prioritizes geographic representation in leadership, noting that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is from the South while Vice President Kashim Shettima is from the North.
Responding to questions about Islamist attacks on Christians, Tuggar revealed personal loss. “I lost my father-in-law to Boko Haram, and I have lost family members, all Muslims. The number one enemy of Boko Haram is not Christians but Muslims who do not adhere to their ideology,” he said.
The exchange concluded with Tuggar accusing Ghamari of stoking conflict from afar. “People like her do not understand Nigeria’s complexities and are seeking to destabilize Africa’s biggest democracy,” he warned.
In October 2025, United States President Donald Trump declared Nigeria a “country of particular concern,” citing alleged Christian genocide, a claim the Nigerian government has consistently denied.
