Because the most powerful narrative in Nigeria today is the one shamelessly sold by the government: “There is no genocide happening here.” A wicked lie. A calous, deeply flawed denial that lets the blood spill, minute after minute, while politicians and public figures pretend all is fine.
The Brutal Reality: Christians Are Being Targeted — And The Numbers Don’t Lie
A shocking report by the Observatory for Religious Freedom in Africa (ORFA) found that between October 2019 and September 2023, there were 9,970 deadly attacks in Nigeria. These attacks claimed 55,910 lives, and of those, at least 16,769 were Christians, compared to 6,235 Muslims.
The same ORFA report shows that Christians were 6.5 times more likely to be killed and 5.1 times more likely to be abducted than Muslims in certain states.
In recent months alone, the International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law (Intersociety) documented more than 7,000 Christians killed in the first seven months of 2025.
Between January and June 2023, Intersociety reported that over 2,500 defenseless Christians were slaughtered — 590 in Benue State, 502 in Plateau, 322 in Kaduna, and 230 in Niger.
Tragically, in 76 days since August 2025, more than 100 Christians have been killed or abducted, according to a new Intersociety update.
Some of the worst reports come from April 2025: a massacre of 43 Christians in Bassa, Plateau State, followed by more than 60 killed in one week, dozens of homes set ablaze, and over 1,000 people displaced.
In a recent atrocity, suspected Fulani herders attacked Zike community in Plateau State, killing at least 40 people, including children and the elderly, destroying homes.
The horror continued in mid-June 2025 in Yelwata, Benue State, where 100–200 people (mostly Christian internally displaced persons) were massacred, and about 3,000 displaced.
These are not isolated incidents. This is systemic, sustained violence — and statistics from credible NGOs and human-rights organizations back it up.
How Did We Get Here? A History of Denial, Neglect, and Displacement
1. Decades in the Making
The violence didn’t begin with Boko Haram. Christian persecution has deep roots: riots in Kano in the 1980s, where Christians attending evangelistic crusades were brutally attacked; the Kaduna Zango-Kataf massacres; constant tension between herdsmen and indigenous farming communities. These incidents long predate international coverage.
2. Government Denial
Despite mounting evidence, the Nigerian government refuses to call it genocide. The prevailing narrative is: “This is banditry. This is conflict. This is not about faith.” But when the same communities being slaughtered are Christian far more often than not, that denial becomes part of the problem — or worse, complicit.
3. International Pressure — But Not Enough Action
The world is finally paying attention. Parliaments in the U.S., Canada, and the EU have debated the crisis loudly. Yet back home, our senators, assembly members, and celebrities remain eerily mute. Why? Because acknowledging genocide would force accountability — and possibly impeachment.
4. Ethno-Religious Targeting
Reports consistently indicate that Fulani herdsmen, many of whom are radicalized or part of militia groups, are responsible for a large share of the violence. These attacks often target farm communities — predominantly Christian — suggesting a pattern not of random violence but of a deliberate strategy.
5. Displacement on a Massive Scale
According to Gatestone and other reports, millions of Christians have been internally displaced (IDPs), forced out of their homes, their churches burned, their schools destroyed. In some places, children reportedly sleep in trees at night just to avoid being butchered.
6. Hostage Taking & Ransoms
Abductions have soared: thousands of Christians have been taken captive. In particular, Fulani jihadist groups hold Christian hostages, demanding ransom. In some cases, captives reportedly did not survive or were executed in captivity.
Where Are the Voices That Should Be Shouting?
Church Leaders & Christian Bodies
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and key church leaders have spoken out. But their voices are often drowned out by political spin and media silence. Some of the sharpest criticisms come from religious leaders who themselves have lost congregations, family members, and communities.
For instance, in a powerful press conference, Pastor Mathew Ashimolowo (originally from northern Nigeria) asked pointed questions about the government's inaction, drawing on personal experience of violence in Christian communities. While many outside Nigeria may not know his story, his testimony is searing: this is not hearsay — it's lived, gory reality.
Civil Society Whistleblowers
Organizations like Intersociety are doing the hard work of documentation. Their reports are grim: mass killings, churches burnt, abductions, communities uprooted.
International Bodies
The Observatory for Religious Freedom in Africa, among others, has played a crucial role in gathering data that counters the government’s false narrative.
So Why the Collective Silence of Politicians and Celebrities?
Risk of Accountability
If the House of Assembly or Senate formally acknowledged genocide, they would potentially set the stage for impeachment discussions. That’s a risk few in power want to take — especially when admitting the truth means admitting failure.
Political Complicity
By denying the scale and nature of the crisis, political elites protect themselves. Acknowledgement demands action — action they may be unwilling to take, because it implicates government negligence or worse.
Fear of Backlash
Speaking out against Islamist violence in Nigeria can bring serious personal risk, especially for public figures in certain regions. But this fear cannot be an excuse for silence — not when lives are being extinguished.
Bought Narratives & Disinformation
There are whispers — loud ones — that some celebrities may be bought. Or simply too comfortable. Their platforms tied to their fame, their influence potentially leveraged by powers that don’t want the genocide narrative to go mainstream. Whether through inducement, coercion, or apathy, their silence is deafening.
Why Denial Is Not Just Ignorance — It’s Dangerous and Deadly
1. You Can’t Solve What You Don’t Acknowledge
If the government, influencers, and lawmakers refuse to admit there is a genocide, how will they deploy real policies to stop it? You can’t treat this as “just another crisis.” It is existential for millions of Nigerian Christians.
2. The Truth Will Out
Thanks to civil society groups, global media, and international bodies, the evidence is now overwhelming. You cannot deny what people are dying for. When the House of Assembly finally debates this, the story changes — and the cover-up unravels.
3. Moral Debt
There is a moral obligation for those with platforms — whether in politics, showbiz, or the church — to speak. To shout. To demand action. Silence now is complicity.
What Must Happen — Yesterday
Federal Recognition: Nigeria must officially acknowledge that a pattern of religiously motivated targeted killings is happening. That it is not “banditry” alone, but something more sinister — something that looks dangerously like genocide.
Independent Commission of Inquiry: Set up a transparent, international-backed commission to investigate the scale, actors, and motives behind the violence.
Protection & Rehabilitation: Deploy real, committed security resources to affected Christian communities. Provide restitution: rebuild churches, homes, schools; support IDPs; pay compensation.
Empower Civil Society: Strengthen organizations doing the documentation — give them access, funding, legitimacy.
Global Pressure: Nigeria’s international partners (U.S., EU, U.N.) should hold it accountable. Foreign aid, military support, diplomatic relations must come with clear expectations: protect your Christian minority.
Public Accountability: Celebrities, lawmakers, governors — you have a voice. Use it. Become megaphones for truth. Demand change, or be remembered for your silence.
The Bottom Line: This Is Not a Tragedy. It’s a Crime.
The Nigerian government’s refusal to call this what it is — genocide — is not just ignorance. It is a betrayal. A betrayal of its citizens, of its history, and of its moral responsibility.
The fact that governors, assembly members, and public figures won’t speak out isn’t just cowardice — it is complicity. While Christians are being slaughtered, displaced, abducted, their places of worship razed, we live in a country where denial is the preferred state policy.
The truth is out. The voices are rising. The world is finally listening. But the question remains: Who in Nigeria will stand up — and who will continue to profit from the silence?
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