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Groups Kick As Islamic Council Says No Christian Genocide In Nigeria

Published

8 months ago

November 10, 2025

Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs blames insecurity on poverty, climate change, crime | Seek foreign help to stop Christian killings, Anglican Primate tells Tinubu

Christian bodies, including the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Northern States Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), its Kaduna State Chapter and others have kicked against the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs’ (NSCIA) dismissal of the reports of a Christian genocide in Nigeria.

The NSCIA had described the reports of Christian genocide in Nigeria as false, divisive, and part of a broader geopolitical conspiracy to destabilise the country.

However, the president of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Bishop Francis Wale Oke, has insisted that it would be a ‘desecration’ to the memory of thousands of victims to describe the killings targeting Christian communities in some states in the North as anything other than genocide.

After a meeting of the Ulamah Council in Abuja on Sunday, the national secretary of the NSCIA, Prof Is-haq Oloyede, said both Muslims and Christians were victims of the same failed security system, poverty, and criminality, and that it was not a religious persecution.

“We turn to our genuine Christian brothers and sisters and tell them: you are not our enemies. You are our compatriots, colleagues, and neighbours.

“We are both Muslims and Christians — victims of a perennial, failed security architecture and a brutal criminal insurgency that targets us all.

“ We have never denied our collective pain. Do not allow foreign political gladiators or domestic separatists to exploit our real suffering to destroy our shared home.

“We, as Muslims, stand with you today against all forms of violence, criminality, and terror. We affirm that in Nigeria, there is no Christian genocide, and there is no Muslim genocide.

“The tragedy in Nigeria is not one of religion but of poverty, climate change, prolonged poor governance, and armed criminals who kill indiscriminately — while sections of the world seek to exploit the situation for geopolitical gain.”

He called on the international community and the press to reject the false, dangerous, and destabilising narrative of a Christian genocide.

“We also urge the Nigerian government to redouble its efforts to protect all citizens, regardless of faith; to defeat the bandits and terrorists; to expose all corrupt instigators of this divisive agenda; and to hold to account any foreign actors working against Nigeria’s unity,” he added.

According to Oloyede, the narrative of genocide was being pushed by foreign political interests seeking to fragment Nigeria along religious lines.

Oloyede warned that the attempt by some Western powers, particularly the United States, to brand Nigeria’s security crisis as genocide was a geopolitical ploy designed to fragment the nation.
He accused certain foreign actors of exploiting Nigeria’s insecurity for “geopolitical profits” while turning a blind eye to atrocities elsewhere, including Gaza.

“If the USA truly loves humanity, it should strengthen Nigeria’s capacity to fight banditry and insurgency, not undermine the country with false narratives,” he said.

The NSCIA insisted that there was no religious war in Nigeria, noting that the constitution guarantees freedom of religion through three co-existing legal systems — common law, sharia, and customary law.

He accused the United States and other Western actors of exploiting the country’s security challenges to advance their own agenda.

“Genuine assistance requires partnership, not unilateral actions which, even if unintentional, could fragment our nation. We will not allow Nigeria to be destabilised by a foreign agenda,” he declared.
The NSCIA maintained that the recent statements by some American political figures linking Nigeria to Christian persecution were “factually baseless and morally reckless.”

It noted that Amnesty International and other credible global bodies had found no evidence of a coordinated campaign to exterminate Christians in the country.

Oloyede said, “What Nigeria faces is a complex tragedy of poverty, climate change, and criminality. Armed groups kill indiscriminately—Muslims and Christians alike. These terrorists are not our representatives; they are our mortal enemies.”

The Council argued that linking the violence in northern Nigeria to religious motives ignored the deeper causes of insecurity, including desertification, economic deprivation, and organised crime in mining and arms trafficking.

The NSCIA also claimed the “genocide” narrative intensified after Nigeria reaffirmed support for the Palestinian cause at the United Nations General Assembly.

It said the misinformation was being driven by far-right and pro-Israeli lobbyists to distract global attention from the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

The NSCIA urged the federal government to intensify efforts in protecting all Nigerians regardless of faith and to “destroy the bandits, expose their sponsors, and confront the corruption feeding insecurity.”

The group also called on the international community to resist false narratives and support Nigeria with intelligence sharing, logistics, and human capacity development.

“We believe that if the United States is truly a lover of humanity and genuinely cares about this country, what is expected is support to strengthen the capacity of government to sincerely fight banditry and insecurity.”“

No Controversy About Targeted Killings In Nigeria – Bishop Oke

But the President of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Bishop Francis Wale Oke, has insisted that it would be a ‘desecration’ to the memory of thousands of victims to describe the killings targeting Christian communities in some states in the North as anything other than genocide.

During an interview with journalists at the Covenant Cathedral of Christ Life Church at Agodi, Ibadan, Oyo State capital, Bishop Oke said the scale and persistence of attacks on Christians in several parts of Northern Nigeria could “no longer be debated,” stressing that the situation demands urgent and sincere government action.

Worried by the unabated spate of killings of Christians for many years without an end in sight, the PFN President asked, “Where is Lea Sharibu? What happened to the Chibok girls? Chibok is a predominantly Christian community in Borno State.

“What is going on in Benue State is still on now? Since Donald Trump cried foul against Nigeria on the matter of genocide, many more people are being killed in Plateau State.”

Bishop Oke noted that United States President Donald Trump had previously designated Nigeria as a ‘Country of Particular Concern,’ citing what he described as ‘Christian genocide.’

While Nigerian authorities have repeatedly rejected that classification, Oke said Trump’s concerns reflect a reality that many Nigerians were witnessing.

“We are not accusing the Muslim community, get me clear. We have been living together for a long time, maintaining mutual respect and harmony. It is the violent sect of Islam that is called Boko Haram, ISWAP, and others that use the name of Islam to attack churches.

“Hundreds of churches had been burnt down, tens of thousands of Christians had been massacred. Hundreds of pastors had been butchered.

“It would be a desecration to the blood of these Nigerians to call it any other name. There is not a single instance of a Christian group attacking Muslims. It is always the other way round. “

Anglican Primate Tells FG To Seek Foreign Help To Stop Christian Killings

For his part, Primate of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), Most Rev’d Henry Ndukuba, has called on the federal government to seek foreign assistance if it is unable to end the violent killings and persecution of Christians in the country.

The Archbishop made this comment while speaking with journalists on the sidelines of the consecration of 15 new Bishops at the Cathedral of Church of the Advent, Abuja, on the issue of targeted killings of Christians in Nigeria.

Ndukuba confirmed the grim reality of targeted attacks, revealing that several pastors and their families remain in captivity after being abducted from their churches.

“The persecution of Christians and the violence that is going on in this land is not something that anybody can deny.

“As I am talking to you now, we have some of our pastors who are kidnapped with their families, taken from their church, and they have not been released.

“If our authorities, the government, cannot handle it, it is good for them to seek help. But at the due time, we will say what we should say,” he said.

Faith-based Killings In Nigeria A Reality- CAN

Contrary to insinuations that there are no faith-based killings in Nigeria, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has said that killings of Christians in Nigeria are a reality and should not be denied by any God fearing person.

Kaduna State CAN chairman Rev. Caleb Maaji said: “Killings in Nigeria are a reality and killings are never permitted by either Christians or Muslims.

It is very very unfortunate, no man makes life, no one has a right to take another person’s life no matter what. Whoever does that is not a religious person; they are criminals that are supposed to be arrested prosecuted and jailed after being tried.”

Corroborating his position, the chairman of CAN in the Northern States and the Federal Capital Territory, Rev. Dr John Joseph Hayab said, “My understanding of this argument is that even if they find the corpses of our children on ground, they will still deny, so we don’t need to react to them since that’s the reason why we have not been able to solve Nigerian problems – because people choose debating about sensitive or serious issues rather than finding solutions.

“We cannot continue to live in self denial. If you have a wound or you are sick and you refuse to accept and chose the part of denying that you are not sick … you will not get cured.’’

“The fact is that what we believe is that what is happening now is supposed to be an opportunity for all of us to find solutions and look at how we work together to stamp out these killings, expose those who are hiding under any religious name to kill fellow citizens.

“The denial is probably to satisfy some people who don’t want the problem solved, so if they choose the part of denial, I can tell you even if they see the corpse of a Christian, they will still deny it. They have done that before as well, so it’s not strange to us.

“We have condemned and spoken against all forms of killings in Nigeria, be it Christian or Muslim, but I have really never seen them courageously come out to criticise anybody who used their religious name to do evil, and that is why evil people are thinking that they have been supported.

‘I hope the Nigerian government will wake up from sleep and correct the wrongs. How can I deny that people are being killed? What will their family members think? he concluded.

US Has Credible Information About Killings In Nigeria – Isong

In reaction to claims of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, former national publicity secretary and Current National Vice president South South zone for Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, PFN, Archbishop Emma Gospel Isong, said that the US has credible intelligence about the killings, stressing that the US move was justified.

According to him, Nigeria should even be grateful for the designation.

He said that the international community had been watching Nigeria for many years, stressing that the US had enough surveillance technology and intelligence to say what it said.

“To say that Christians had been targeted within communities is a fact; some communities have been wiped out, and most of them have been put in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps.

“You cannot disagree except somebody who has been sleeping for the last 20 years.”

Isong, the General Overseer of Christian Central Chapel International (CCCI), Calabar, stressed that this is the time for Nigeria to restructure its security and intelligence system, rather than live in denial.

He said that admission would possibly lead to the US assisting Nigeria in enhancing its defensive capabilities. Isong dismissed the fear that the US would hurt Nigerians.

“I work under the Anti-Corruption and Inter-religious department of the United States Embassy. I’m a member of the board,” Isong maintained.

“They said that Nigerians whose hands are clean should have nothing to fear.
Those perpetrating killings in the guise of ethno-religious crises are the ones who deserve sanction from the United States Government.”

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Step-by-step guide for contactless passport renewal for Nigerians abroad

Published

7 hours ago

July 7, 2026

Newsbreak365_Admin

The Nigeria Immigration Service has released an updated step-by-step guide for Nigerians living abroad to renew their passports through its Contactless Passport Application System.

The Service announced the update in a post on its official X handle on Tuesday, encouraging Nigerians in the diaspora to take advantage of the digital platform.

According to the Service, the application process involves the following steps:

1. Visit the official NIS Passport Application portal.
2. Select Continue from the pop-up window.
3. Click Apply for Renewal/Re-issue.
4. Create an account and verify your identity using your National Identification Number and date of birth.
5. Complete the application form and choose your preferred processing embassy or high commission.
6. Upload the required documents.
7. Pay the passport fee for your selected booklet.
8. Obtain your Application ID and Reference Number.
9. Select the Contactless option under the Application Status/Book Appointment section.
10. Review the contactless instructions and click “I Understand and Opt In.”
11. Download the NIS Mobile App.
12. Log in or create a profile on the app.
13. Select Passport Application Services.
14. Click Passport Biometrics Enrolment, enter your Application ID and Reference Number, and check your eligibility.
15. Capture your facial image and fingerprints.
16. Complete the liveness verification.
17. Pay the contactless service fee.
18. Submit your biometrics.

The Service, however, noted that not all applicants would qualify for the contactless process.

“If response is INELIGIBLE, then it means applicant should return to the landing page of the portal to book physical appointment at the Embassy/High Commission,” it stated.

For applicants who successfully complete the contactless biometric enrolment, the NIS said additional documents must be forwarded to the selected processing mission.

“Upon successful completion of biometrics via Contactless App, applicant should print-out the Application form, passport booklet payment, biometric payment, current Passport and enclose all in a self-addressed return envelope to the processing embassy selected during the application process,” the Service said.

It added that applicants would be able to monitor the progress of their applications after submission.

“Applicant may track successful application two weeks after submission via https://track.immigration.gov.ng or on the NIS Mobile App,” the Service added.

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PFIPC scandal: Ex-SGF Babachir Lawal suspects ‘big racket’ behind ‘fake’ agency’s budget code

Published

7 hours ago

July 7, 2026

Newsbreak365_Admin

A former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, has called for a judicial inquiry into the controversy surrounding the alleged fake Presidential Fiscal and Infrastructure Projects Council (PFIPC), arguing that the scandal points to deep institutional failures rather than a simple administrative error.

Speaking in an interview with ARISE NEWS on Monday, Lawal said the circumstances surrounding the alleged agency suggested the existence of a wider network that enabled it to function within government processes despite questions over its legal status.

He insisted that an administrative investigation alone would be insufficient. “I don’t think it should even be administrative alone; it should be a judicial inquiry”, the former SGF clearly stated.

Lawal questioned claims surrounding an alleged ₦27.5bn take-off grant reportedly linked to the agency, asking how such funds could have been approved and released if the organisation had no legal basis.

“Nigerians are talking about how N1.3bn was inserted into the budget. The man himself first said the quarrel came about because he refused to part with 48% of the 27-point-something billion Naira take-off grant. That money has been spent before this budget office was looking for the budget.

“Who gave him the money? It was not appropriated for; it’s not in any budget, that N27.5bn Naira for which he says somebody demanded 48%. Who gave him the money? How did the process of generating the request for the release come up? How did it go through?

“We are just talking about the tip of the iceberg here. Down there, before we got to here, N27.5bn had already been disbursed, according to him, as a take-off grant. How did that money get to him? It was not in the budget. So this is what should frighten us. If such money can go to a fictitious organisation, we only now begin to see it when we are quarrelling about how it got into the budget. How did that money get to them?”, Babachir queried.

The former SGF argued that the controversy only became public because of disagreements over the sharing of funds rather than because government oversight mechanisms functioned effectively.

He continued,… “So you see, that’s how we got to know this to start with. That is the reason why we got to know this on his side of the coin. It’s about the sharing of the N27.5bn. That’s why the thing came up. So it didn’t work. It should have worked before that money left the government coffers into the account of the agency.”

Lawal also alleged that the scandal reflected broader institutional weaknesses within the current administration, arguing that the Office of the SGF should have detected any irregularities before the matter progressed through official channels.

He maintained that the SGF’s office bears responsibility for identifying and flagging agencies without legal backing before their requests or budgets proceed through government.

He said, “It’s institutional compromise, because in this, I sense there’s quite a big racket going on somewhere along the line. If the agency was created by maybe one big man alone, and then he wants to go through the budget process, the budget office assigns the budget code according to the chart of accounts in GIFMIS. So, how did they manage to assign the budget code for this agency that does not exist? Who inserted it?

“Because first of all, the budget office issues a budget call circular to MDAs, and everybody starts to prepare his budget according to the budget line. They give you ceilings, and you prepare your budget and forward it to the budget office as an agency or ministry. Now, the Ministry of Budget and Planning would, in our time, call every MDA to come and defend its budget. Now, if you don’t exist, how did they recognise that you are a genuine entity? Who gave out the budget code and allowed their budget to pass?

“That’s what oversight is. The SGF should be able to know, because before it gets to the National Assembly, that budget goes through the SGF. Unless there’s a dereliction of duty by the SGF’s office, the responsibility to flag that this is a fake agency would have come from them.”

Lawal further criticised the National Assembly, accusing lawmakers of failing to thoroughly scrutinise budget proposals.

“It is a legislative oversight. This government—this National Assembly—has no interest in scrutinising the budget that comes before them. Most of the legislators just go in there to earn their salaries and collect allowances and go. They don’t scrutinise the budget line by line. We all know how this particular government works. There are some people that when they talk, nobody else has the authority to contravene.”

He also suggested that public attention should focus not only on the agency’s legal status but on the individuals who allegedly enabled its operations.

“Why are you interested in N27.5bn that had already been collected and spent? We are talking about an agency that we are claiming doesn’t exist. Maybe it exists, but it doesn’t have a legal framework for its existence. But it exists. And there are a lot of powerful people that make sure it exists in that form.

“Those are the people we need to expose. The Chief of Staff, in particular, is so powerful. The SGF is there, just reneging on his responsibilities. And nothing has happened now”, he concluded.

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Fake Agency Scandal: Gbajabiamila threatens Adeyemi with N10bn defamation suit

Published

11 hours ago

July 7, 2026

Oluwagbenga Olaoye

Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, ha threatened to initiate legal steps against Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, and demand N10 billion in damages over allegations linking him to murder, bribery and other criminal activities.

The move was conveyed in a letter dated July 6, 2026, signed by Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Kemi Pinheiro, on behalf of Pinheiro LP, the Chief of Staff’s legal representatives.

The dispute stems from a press conference held by Adeyemi on June 25, during which he accused Gbajabiamila of seeking a share of the alleged take-off funds of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), receiving money through intermediaries, abusing his office and participating in efforts to conceal wrongdoing.Death & Tragedy

During the briefing, Adeyemi also referred to the Chief of Staff as “a murderer” and “an assassin”.

The Presidency has consistently maintained that the PFIPC is a fictitious organisation, despite its appearance in the 2026 Appropriation Act.

Gbajabiamila’s lawyers dismissed all the allegations as entirely false and defamatory, saying they were intended to damage his reputation.

The letter stated: “not only false but gravely defamatory,” adding that the allegations were “designed to portray our client as corrupt, dishonest, criminally culpable, morally bankrupt, administratively incompetent, a murderer and unfit to occupy public office.”

According to the legal team, Adeyemi is already standing trial before the Federal High Court in Abuja in Charge No. FHC/ABJ/CR/652/2026, FRN v. Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew & Ors, over allegations including forgery of an appointment letter bearing Gbajabiamila’s purported signature and the alleged counterfeiting of Presidential letter-headed papers to present himself as a government official.Nigeria Investment Guide

The lawyers further rejected Adeyemi’s claims that Gbajabiamila demanded 48 per cent of a purported N27.4 billion take-off grant for the council, amounting to about N12.5 billion, or that he received N400 million through proxies connected to appointments within the organisation.

Other allegations dismissed in the letter included claims that the Chief of Staff intimidated individuals and media organisations, manipulated budget processes, attempted to misuse security agencies and performed official duties while under the influence of intoxicating substances.Trending News Feed

Gbajabiamila also denied ever having any relationship with Adeyemi.

“You have never at any time met, interacted with, communicated with, or had any form of personal or official dealing whatsoever with him,” the lawyers wrote, adding that the decision to “fabricate and publish allegations against a person with whom you have had absolutely no relationship or interaction underscores the reckless, baseless and malicious nature of your publication.”

The legal team also criticised the timing of the allegations, noting that they were made after criminal proceedings had already been instituted against Adeyemi.

“It is even more disturbing to our client that you resorted to defaming him through your press statements after a criminal Charge had been filed against you,” the letter stated.

It added, “Trial by media remains unknown to Nigerian law and cannot be a substitute for due process.”Nigeria Investment Guide

Gbajabiamila’s lawyers demanded that Adeyemi immediately stop making further defamatory statements, remove all related videos, recordings and transcripts from every platform, issue a full retraction and apology in at least five national newspapers and across all social media platforms used to circulate the claims, and provide a written undertaking that he would refrain from making further allegations.

The letter warned that failure to comply would result in both criminal defamation proceedings under the laws of the Federal Capital Territory and a civil lawsuit seeking N10 billion in aggravated and exemplary damages. The damages, it said, would be donated to a charity chosen by Gbajabiamila. The legal action would also seek a perpetual injunction and a court order compelling the publication of an apology.

The controversy centres on the PFIPC, which was listed in the 2026 Appropriation Act under the title Presidential Economic Advisory Council/Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council and received more than N1.3 billion in budgetary allocations, including about N803 million for personnel, N200 million for overhead and N300 million for capital expenditure.

Adeyemi had argued during his June 25 press conference that an agency included in a budget signed by the President could not be regarded as non-existent.

However, the Presidency insists the council is fraudulent and has no legal existence.

Meanwhile, human rights lawyer Femi Falana has argued that the Presidency lacks the constitutional authority to clear anyone involved in the dispute and has called for an independent investigation into the allegations against both Gbajabiamila and Adeyemi.

Adeyemi is scheduled to appear before the Federal High Court on July 27, 2026.

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