The Citizens Initiative for Safety Awareness, CISA, has criticised what it described as attempts by some Western groups and a section of the U.S. Congress to portray Nigeria’s security crisis as a religious war against Christians.

In a statement issued on Wednesday in Abuja, CISA’s National Coordinator, Chidi Omeje, said the claims were misleading and capable of undermining Nigeria’s counterterrorism and anti-banditry operations.

Omeje said terrorism and banditry in the country were driven by criminality, extremism, and the quest for control rather than religion.

“The same insurgents who attack churches have also bombed mosques, ambushed Muslim travellers, and killed thousands of innocent people across all faiths and regions. The pain of terrorism is national, not sectarian,” he said.

He expressed concern that some U.S. lawmakers and media outlets were using claims of Christian persecution to push for Nigeria’s redesignation as a “Country of Particular Concern (CPC)” a move that could affect security cooperation and arms sales to the country.

According to him, such actions would weaken Nigeria’s ability to combat terrorism and embolden criminal groups.

Omeje urged the international community to rely on verified intelligence and credible data rather than politically motivated reports, noting that the U.S. Embassy in Abuja had not described the violence in Nigeria as a religious genocide.

He said Nigeria’s fight against terrorism was for the safety of all citizens, regardless of religion or ethnicity, and called for constructive international support instead of stigmatization.

‘Terrorism in Nigeria affects all faiths’ – CISA faults U.S. genocide claims