Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has accused opposition figures of spreading claims that Christians are being systematically killed in Nigeria, describing the allegations as "politics taken too far."
Wike made the accusation on Monday while appearing on Politics Today, a live programme on Channels Television.
He argued that the narrative of a "Christian genocide" under President Bola Tinubu’s administration was a deliberate attempt by the opposition to divide the country.
"The problem we have today is that because of Mr President’s style of politics, you can see the collapse of the opposition. They know no party is prepared to challenge him in 2027, so they’re looking for something that can divide the country. That’s why you hear this talk about Christian killings. It’s politics taken too far," he said.
Although he declined to name any opposition leader, Wike upheld it was "very obvious" who was behind the campaign.
According to him, he was dismayed that anyone would accuse the government he serves in of supporting religious killings.
"It is an indictment that a government I am serving will be accused of supporting genocide and the killing of Christians. The Inspector General of Police is a Christian, the Director-General of the DSS is a Christian, the Chief of Defence Staff is a Christian. Tell me, how can any right-thinking person believe such a thing?" he asked.
He added that the killing of Nigerians, regardless of their faith, "does not bring joy to any responsible leader."
Wike’s comments come amid escalating tensions following threats from former US President Donald Trump, who over the weekend warned that America could launch a military strike on Nigeria if the government failed to curb attacks on Christians.
Trump, in a post on his Truth Social platform on Saturday, claimed Christianity was "facing an existential threat" in Nigeria and said any US action "will be fast, vicious, and sweet."
He repeated the warning on Sunday after the Nigerian presidency proposed a diplomatic dialogue.
Asked during the interview whether he was concerned about Trump’s comments, Wike was non-committal but described the situation as "unfortunate," suggesting that Trump might have been misinformed.
"There could be some misinformation or distortion. It’s unfortunate," he said.
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