Wike Accuses Opposition Of Spreading False Christian Genocide Claims

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has accused opposition groups of fabricating claims of a “Christian genocide” in Nigeria to discredit President Bola Tinubu’s administration and stir religious tension ahead of the 2027 elections.

Wike, speaking on a television programme in Abuja, said the narrative was a recycled political tactic designed to portray the government as anti-Christian, similar to the strategies used against former President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015. He described the allegation as “politics taken too far” and warned against using religion as a weapon for political gain.

The minister said he found the accusation personally offensive, noting that he is a Christian from a pastor’s family and serves in the same administration being accused of religious persecution. According to him, it makes no sense to suggest that a government with prominent Christians in key security positions would tolerate or encourage attacks on Christians.

Wike pointed out that the heads of the police, the Department of State Services, and the armed forces include Christians who remain committed to protecting all Nigerians, regardless of faith. He also said President Tinubu, whose wife is a pastor, would never allow religious violence under his watch.

He dismissed suggestions that government inaction might amount to complicity, insisting that the current administration has deployed more resources to combat terrorism and insecurity than any previous government.

Wike accused the opposition of exploiting the nation’s security challenges to create distrust and division among citizens. He said terrorism and banditry have affected people across religious and ethnic lines, noting that the killings are not limited to Christians.

He urged Nigerians and the international community to disregard reports suggesting government complicity in religious violence, stressing that the Tinubu administration remains committed to defeating terrorism and restoring peace nationwide.