The Director-General of Nigeria’s National Orientation Agency (NOA), Lanre Issa-Onilu, has rejected allegations that Christians are being subjected to genocide in Nigeria, saying the United States government made a “serious error” in its latest intelligence assessment.
The response followed Washington’s recent redesignation of Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) — a classification reserved for nations accused of tolerating severe violations of religious freedom. The decision came days after U.S. President Donald Trump claimed that Nigerian authorities were ignoring the killings of Christians and threatened to halt all U.S. aid to the country.
Speaking at a joint security media briefing on Monday in Abuja, Issa-Onilu described Trump’s assertions as “false and misleading,” adding that Nigeria’s situation had been misrepresented.
“Let me speak specifically to some of the import of the statement. One is to say that the Christian genocide in Nigeria — I’m sure even America knows that is not true,” Issa-Onilu said. “This is not the first time that the intelligence of the United States has failed America. It failed them in Iraq. It failed them in Libya. I’m sure this is another error in their intelligence gathering.”
Okay News reports that the NOA Director-General emphasized Nigeria’s ongoing efforts to strengthen internal security and promote peaceful coexistence. He pointed to the recent shake-up of the nation’s security architecture by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, which he said underscores the government’s commitment to ensuring safety and unity across religious lines.
Issa-Onilu revealed that the National Security Adviser and newly appointed service chiefs would later brief journalists from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) to provide a coordinated government response to the genocide allegations.
Nigeria was first designated a CPC in 2020 under the International Religious Freedom Act during Trump’s presidency. The label was lifted in 2021 under President Joe Biden after diplomatic dialogue between Abuja and Washington. The latest move, however, has reignited public debate over human rights and the accuracy of U.S. intelligence operations in Africa’s most populous country.
The Federal Government has repeatedly insisted that it protects all citizens regardless of religion, citing improved counterterrorism campaigns and interfaith initiatives as evidence of its commitment to religious harmony.
