A former presidential aide, Reno Omokri, has challenged members of the United States Congress to publicly identify Nigerians allegedly sponsoring terror attacks that have led to claims of genocide against Christians.
Mr Omokri made the call during a press briefing in Abuja on Tuesday, which also featured Mike Arnold, a former mayor of Blanco, Texas, and founder of Africa Arise International.
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He faulted the claim, insisting that the violent incidents in Nigeria do not constitute genocide against Christians.
“So saying that there’s a genocide in Nigeria is like saying that in the United States every year, something like 30,000, close to 30,000 people are murdered disproportionately, they are black people. Can we in Nigeria now start to use our media power and say there is a genocide against black people in America?
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“Then that is the same thing as coming to say that there’s a genocide against Christians here and that it is being facilitated by the Nigerian state. It is not true. But if you think it is true, don’t just come and just make accusations. Name names, name them, and shame them. Name the Nigerians,” he said.
The US Bill
The issue of alleged Christian genocide has generated debate in recent weeks after the US Congress introduced a bill seeking to classify Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” for alleged violations of religious freedom
The bill, titled “The Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act, 2025 (S. 2747),” was jointly sponsored by Ted Cruz and several US lawmakers. It mandates the US government to identify and sanction Nigerian officials allegedly responsible for enforcing blasphemy laws.
The measure was influenced by recommendations from the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), which has repeatedly urged the US State Department to designate Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern.”
USCIRF reports claim that Nigerian authorities have failed to protect religious minorities or punish perpetrators of sectarian violence. However, Nigerian officials have dismissed the allegations as misleading, maintaining that most violent incidents in the country stem from terrorism and criminality rather than religion.
In response, the Nigerian Senate constituted a 12-member ad hoc committee to develop a legislative position on the allegations and advise the government on appropriate action.
No evidence
Mr Omokri maintained that there is no evidence of Christian genocide in Nigeria, pointing out that even Open Doors International, a global Christian monitoring body, has not classified the situation as genocide.
“Open Doors themselves have not even said there’s a genocide in Nigeria. The people he was quoting, Open Doors themselves, have not said there is a genocide or that there was a genocide.
“In the whole world, you’ve got one global body that’s responsible for adjudicating on who’s corrupt, and that’s Transparency International. Also, you’ve got one global body that’s responsible for adjudicating on security and terrorism, and that is the Institute for Economic and Peace that publishes the Global Terror Index, and they’ve said that Nigeria has made improvements, and that’s why we have gone from the third most terrorised country, I think to where we are right now, somewhere maybe number eight.”
He added that while impunity is gradually being addressed, it remains a process that requires strengthening the Nigerian Army and Police.
“Impunity is ending. It has not ended because you need to expand the Nigerian Army, the Nigerian Police. We can’t be everywhere at the same time, but it’s ending. It is a process.”
It’s ‘genocide’, former US mayor insists
However, Mr Arnold claimed that the ongoing violence and displacement in Northern and Middle-Belt Nigeria amount to genocide against Christian communities.
During the briefing, Mr Arnold said he had undertaken 15 trips to Nigeria since 2010, including six investigative missions since 2019, visiting communities in Bokkos, Jos, Gwoza, Lagos, Port Harcourt, and Abuja.
“I have interviewed governors, cabinet ministers, traditional rulers, and former presidents. I have met orphans whose parents were hacked to death. I have built schools in IDP camps and documented over 80 hours of filmed testimony.
“To play semantic games while people die is beyond obscene. There can be no solution while leaders play word games to hide the truth,” he said.
Mr Arnold argued that the violence he observed constituted a “calculated and long-running genocide” against Christian and other minority communities in Nigeria.
“The campaign of violence and displacement in northern and Middle Belt Nigeria does indeed constitute a calculated, current, and long-running genocide against Christian communities and other religious minorities,” he stated.
He urged Nigerian authorities to act decisively and challenged religious leaders to rise above hypocrisy and speak truth to power, accusing some of moral compromise.
