*Alhaji Mohammed Idris (fnipr), Minister of Information and National Orientation
Seemingly out of the blue, social media watchers were stunned as several influencers known for their pro-Israeli postings on X (formerly Twitter) began posting about the ‘genocide’ of Nigerian Christians.
Remarkably some of these handles include those who attended the recent influencer meet up with Benjamin Netanyahu in the U.S during the Israeli leaders trip for the UN General Assembly meeting.
Leading the charge was @israelnewspulse, who made the startling (but false) claim that
“Last year alone, Muslims kiIIled 500,000 Christians in only Nigeria. Why are they only talking about Palestine?”
This appears to be the cue for the others to pile on. And what a stampede it was!
One EyalYakoby@Eyakoby posted that “everyday, an average of 35 Christians are killed in Nigeria.”
He also asked why the UN and some major US. Media voices were silent.
@RyanGarcia shrilly asked: “Why is the world so silent on the massacre of Christians getting slaughtered in Nigeria.”
No matter if his English is all mangled. But we got his message. In any case, it was echoed by @trad_west who proclaimed that “The whole Christian population in Nigeria is getting wiped out. The Christian’s there need help!!!”
So, why is there a sudden interest in Nigeria and its Christians by these people?
@Saint_3iii offered a probable insight into the reason for the sudden focus on Nigeria by these influences.
“The vice president of Nigeria is in the UN talking about Palestine while his fellow Muslims are persecuting Christians,” the handle posts.
The Nigerian twiterrati also got involved, both for and against
“Go and deal with the Genocide your Zionist regime is conducting in Gaza and stop this mischievous lies 4000kms away from your God forsaken stolen and occupied territory.
You need more of this Propaganda for your genocide just like Bibi asked you to do in the US, ” says @oil_shaeikh.
@hamad_bachi also interjected, by posting this: ” Wow, 500,000 in one year? Incredible reporting — straight from the Department of Made-Up Statistics”.
Another, Arc Uche Rochas @U_Rochas was however glad for the postings
“We need voices like this, we are going through hell. Thank you.”
@NdekeEjike also approved. He posted:
“Over 5 million Christians have been killed and are still being killed in the north while the world remained silent. Genocide didn’t originate from Gaza. The (6 July 1967 – 15 January 1970) genocide were 6 million Igbos, including women and children were killed in Eastern Nigeria. “
Nigerian government responds
No doubt the sudden attack has caught the attention of the Nigerian government, especially as there were (unconfirmed) reports that it was currently involved in discussions about a possible security pact with Israel.
The Minister of Information, Mohammed Idris said in a statement he issued recently stated:
“Portraying Nigeria’s security challenges as a targeted campaign against a single religious group is a gross misrepresentation of reality. While Nigeria, like many countries, has faced security challenges, including acts of terrorism perpetrated by criminals, couching the situation as a deliberate, systematic attack on Christians is inaccurate and harmful. It oversimplifies a complex, multifaceted security environment and plays into the hands of terrorists and criminals who seek to divide Nigerians along religious or ethnic lines.
“The violent activities of terrorist groups are not confined to any particular religious or ethnic community. These criminals target all who reject their murderous ideology, regardless of faith. Muslims, Christians, and even those who do not identify with any religion have suffered at their hands.
“The Federal Government remains unwavering in its commitment to completely degrading terrorist groups and securing the lives and property of all citizens, and this resolve is already yielding results. Between May 2023 and February 2025 alone, over 13,543 terrorists and criminals were neutralized and nearly 10,000 hostages rescued in multiple military operations across the country.”
He further noted that:
” Nigeria is a multi-religious state with large populations of both Christians and Muslims. We are home to one of the largest Muslim communities in the world, alongside some of the biggest Pentecostal churches and the largest Anglican congregation globally. Christianity is neither endangered nor marginalized in Nigeria. It is doubtful that foreign interlopers into Nigerian affairs are aware that the current heads of both the Armed Forces and the Police Force are Christians—a fact that underscores the inclusivity of our national leadership.”
