Names of Groups that Misled Trump on Genocide Report in Nigeria Exposed
- IMPI accuses U.S. President Donald Trump of redesignating Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” based on manipulated and unverified data
- The think tank blames Intersociety and Open Doors for releasing exaggerated reports on Christian killings that contradict global terrorism statistics
- IMPI urges the U.S. to verify all security-related data before policy decisions and calls for diplomatic engagement to correct misconceptions about Nigeria
The Independent Media and Policy Initiative (IMPI) has faulted U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to redesignate Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC).
The group described the action as baseless and founded on manipulated statistics provided by groups with hidden agendas.
Source: Twitter
In a policy statement signed by its chairman, Dr. Omoniyi Akinsiju, and made available to Legit.ng, the think tank accused certain local and international organizations of spreading misleading data to portray Nigeria as a country where Christians face systematic persecution.
The groups named include the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) and Open Doors, a Christian advocacy charity.
Inflated figures and questionable motives
According to IMPI, both organizations have for years circulated figures that do not align with verified global terrorism data. It said Intersociety reported that 5,068 Christians were killed in 2022, while Open Doors claimed 5,014 faith-related killings in the same year, figures the group said were “clearly inconsistent with the reality on the ground.”
The think tank referenced the Global Terrorism Index (GTI), which recorded 392 deaths from terrorism in Nigeria for 2022, the lowest since 2011, and 565 deaths in 2024.
IMPI argued that these numbers contrast sharply with the thousands of deaths reported by the NGOs, showing what it described as “an industry of falsehoods” used to push for Nigeria’s CPC designation.
“Our findings indicate that the total number of terrorism-related fatalities in Nigeria was nowhere near the inflated data presented by these organizations,” the statement said.
“While every life lost is tragic, such fabrications only serve divisive and political motives.”
Source: Getty Images
Call for data verification and diplomatic engagement
IMPI expressed concern that the U.S. government relied on “unverified and fictitious data” to reach its decision, urging Washington to independently validate all figures before taking policy actions.
It also described the 2020 CPC listing under Trump’s administration as a “questionable decision,” given the statistical evidence of declining terrorism fatalities at the time.
The group further revealed that Intersociety had, since 2019, published inconsistent and misleading reports claiming that most violent deaths in Nigeria were “Christian deaths.”
It noted that the 2019 GTI recorded a 39.1 percent decrease in terrorism-related killings, while Intersociety presented inflated numbers that contradicted data from credible research institutions.
“The import here is that Intersociety attributed virtually all reported fatalities to Christian deaths,” IMPI said.
“This deliberate inflation of figures was designed to inflame religious sentiment and justify the CPC label.”
IMPI maintained that genuine understanding through direct government-to-government engagement would enable the United States to withdraw Nigeria from the CPC list, restore diplomatic balance, and prevent the misuse of data in future policy decisions.
Foreign ministry reacts to Trump's claim
Legit.ng earlier reported that Nigeria's Foreign ministry commented on the claim that Nigerian Christians were being killed in massive proportions.
According to the government ministry, the claim by the United States President Donald Trump did not reflect the reality on the ground.
US President Donald Trump claimed that there were widespread killings of Christians in Nigeria.
Source: Legit.ng
