Are Christians Being Persecuted in Nigeria? BBC Picks Holes in Trump’s Claim
- President Donald Trump claimed that Christians are being persecuted and killed in the northern part of Nigeria
- The United States President claimed that no fewer than 3,100 Christians were attacked and killed in Nigeria
- The BBC, however, has cast doubt on the credibility of the data that President Trump relied upon to conclude that there is targeted killing of Christians in the West African country
Legit.ng journalist Adekunle Dada has over 8 years of experience covering metro, government policy, and international issues
Washington, DC, USA - United States President Donald Trump’s claim that 3,100 Christians were killed in Nigeria has come under serious scrutiny.
Trump had declared Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern over alleged Christian genocide northern part of the country.
As reported by the BBC News, White House official said Trump cited a report by Open Doors for deaths for the 12 months from October 2023.
Open Doors is a charity which researches the persecution of Christians worldwide.
According to the Open Doors report, while 3,100 Christians died, 2,320 Muslims were also killed in those 12 months.
The report said the "Fulani Terror Groups" were responsible for almost a third of Christians killed during those 12 months.
Frans Veerman, senior research fellow at Open Doors, said Fulani militants also target Muslims.
"What we see now is that Christians are still targeted, but increasingly some Muslims are targeted by Fulani militants".
According to the BBC, analysts argued that many mosques and Muslim communities have experienced violent attacks in the north-west of Nigeria.
Confidence McHarry, a senior security analyst at Africa-focussed consultancy SBM Intelligence, said:
"One could say that this is part of the broader insecurity. The reason why it is not assumed to have a religious dimension is down to the fact that the identities of the people who are carrying out these attacks against Muslims are themselves Muslims."
Security analyst Mr Ani disagrees with InterSociety, describing the Fulani herdsmen as "jihadists" in all its reports.
He argues that:
"To say that they are jihadists - it's a far stretch. It has nothing to do with that. It has a lot more to do with rogue and criminal elements."
US Congress members hail Trump for blacklisting Nigeria
Recall that at least thirty-one members of the United States Congress have commended President Trump over his stand on the alleged Christian genocide in Nigeria.
Legit.ng reports that Trump has labelled Nigeria a "country of Particular Concern" over the alleged persecution of Christians.
The US lawmakers said Trump-led action has shown America's strong commitment to defending religious freedom globally.
FG mentions those allegedly behind Christian genocide
Legit.ng earlier reported that the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led federal government has mentioned those allegedly behind the Christian genocide narrative in Nigeria.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said terrorist groups do not operate on religious lines.
Idris shared the findings of the federal government following US President Donald Trump's allegation of the targeted killing of Christians in Nigeria.
Source: Legit.ng
