* Demand proof of state’s role in Nigeria’s security crisis

Sunday Aborisade in Abuja

Nigerian author and social commentator, Reno Bemigho Omokri, alongside Mike Arnold, the Republican Mayor of Blanco City in Texas, USA, and Prof. Khalid Aliyu, Secretary-General of the Jama’atul Nasril Islam (JNI), have jointly dismissed claims by U.S. Senator Ted Cruz that the Nigerian government is complicit in a genocide targeting Christians.

At a press conference held Tuesday,  in Abuja, the trio described the allegations as baseless, dangerous and founded on misinformation. 

They challenged the Texas senator to produce verifiable evidence or name the supposed state officials enabling such atrocities if his claims are to be taken seriously.

Omokri said Cruz’s assertions, made while sponsoring the ‘Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act of 2025’ before the U.S. Senate, misrepresented the complex nature of Nigeria’s security challenges and risk inflaming religious tensions in a diverse nation already confronting terrorism and banditry.

Omokri said: “A genocide is a deliberate act of policy by a state actor against a specific religion or ethnicity. 

“What we have in Nigeria is terrorism, not genocide. If Senator Cruz truly knows any government official facilitating terror, he should name and shame them. Otherwise, these allegations are reckless and baseless.”

He noted that violence in Nigeria is not religiously motivated but driven by extremist groups such as Boko Haram and ISWAP, whose victims include both Muslims and Christians.

“Three of Nigeria’s four service chiefs are Christians. So it defies logic to claim there’s a state-backed genocide against Christians,” he said.

Citing the Global Terrorism Index, Omokri emphasized that terror-related deaths in Nigeria had dropped sharply from 7,512 in 2015 to 565 in 2024.

He attributed the decline to improved security coordination and counterinsurgency measures.

He argued that claims of Christian genocide are often propagated by foreign actors unfamiliar with Nigeria’s sociopolitical realities.

Omokri also blamed the administration of former U.S. President Barack Obama for worsening Nigeria’s security situation, saying its refusal to sell arms and share intelligence with Nigeria during the height of Boko Haram insurgency weakened the country’s fight against terrorism.

According to Omokri, “The destabilization of Libya under Obama unleashed weapons and fighters across Africa. That singular policy failure birthed the insecurity we face today. Senator Cruz should look closer to home if he’s searching for those who facilitated terrorism in Nigeria.”

He further invited Cruz to undertake a fact-finding visit to Nigeria, promising to facilitate meetings with affected communities across faiths to expose the misinformation underpinning the genocide narrative.

In his remarks, Mayor Mike Arnold of Blanco City, Texas, backed Omokri’s assertion, stressing that while terrorist groups like Boko Haram have committed atrocities that could be described as genocidal, there is no evidence linking the Nigerian government to their actions.

“By the definition of genocide, the government of Nigeria does not have to be involved,” Arnold admitted when questioned by Omokri. 

He noted that Nigeria has established deradicalization camps for rescued child soldiers who were abducted and indoctrinated by Boko Haram, not for terrorists seeking amnesty.

Arnold also acknowledged on camera that Congressman Scott Paris had accused the previous U.S. administration of indirectly funding Boko Haram through USAID, reinforcing Omokri’s claim that Washington, not Abuja, should be scrutinized for enabling insurgency in West Africa.

Omokri seized on this admission, saying: “If Senator Cruz is truly concerned about those who facilitated Boko Haram or ISWAP, he should examine U.S. policy decisions under previous administrations, not baselessly accuse Nigerian officials.”

Backing Omokri’s position, Prof. Khalid Aliyu, the Secretary-General of JNI, described the genocide claim as “strange, baseless, and dangerously divisive”.

He warned that such rhetoric could worsen Nigeria’s fragile religious balance and undermine the government’s efforts to unify citizens against terrorism.

Aliyu said: “It sounds very strange and dangerous to allege genocide against Christians in Nigeria without verifiable evidence.

“We must not convert acts of criminality into religious persecution. That kind of misrepresentation only deepens distrust among Nigerians and distracts from the real problem, which is insecurity.”

He added that labeling terrorism as genocide serves “a sinister motive” that could derail Nigeria’s gradual progress towards peace and national cohesion. 

Aliyu said: “This claim is baseless and does not hold water. We hope those spreading it will see the truth in its proper context.

“The Nigerian government has already dismissed Senator Cruz’s bill as unfounded.” 

The Minister of Information reiterated Abuja’s commitment to religious freedom and inclusive governance, while the National Assembly recently constituted an ad hoc committee to study the allegations and engage the U.S. Congress through diplomatic channels.

Omokri, Arnold and Aliyu urged the international community to rely on verified intelligence rather than partisan narratives. 

They called for an enhanced U.S.–Nigeria cooperation in intelligence sharing, counterterrorism funding and rehabilitation of victims rather than punitive legislation based on misinformation.

Omokri said: “We are all victims of terror in Nigeria, Muslims, Christians and others. 

“To claim that the Nigerian government is waging genocide against Christians is not only false; it’s an insult to the millions of Nigerians who have suffered from terrorism regardless of faith.”

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