Former Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has pushed back against claims that Christians are being deliberately targeted for genocide in Nigeria, insisting that such narratives misrepresent the country’s security reality
Speaking during an interactive session with students at Abbey College, Cambridge in the United Kingdom, Mohammed addressed concerns about religious persecution, stressing that the situation is more complex than it is often portrayed.
He dismissed the allegation outright, saying, “There should be more understanding on the part of the developed world. Now, people say that there is religious persecution in Nigeria and that there is genocide against Christians. It’s not true. It is fake news.”
According to him, Nigeria’s security crisis is not rooted in any organised attempt to wipe out a religious group but is instead driven by broader challenges facing the nation.
“Nigeria as a country has challenges that will not be resolved by genocide against any religion,” he stated.
Mohammed explained that Boko Haram’s early operations were largely directed at Muslims, particularly those who embraced Western education, noting that many of the group’s initial victims were fellow Muslims.
“At the beginning, the victims of Boko Haram were largely Muslims, not Christians. Boko Haram started as a revolt by extreme Muslims against conventional Muslims like me,” he said.
He further broke down the group’s ideology, explaining the meaning behind its name and how it shaped its targets.
“Look at the meaning of Boko Haram — ‘haram’ means forbidden or illicit, ‘boko’ means Western education. So for Boko Haram, I, Lai Mohammed, having gone to school, am an enemy.”
He added that the insurgents later extended their attacks to Christians, suggesting it was a move to draw greater international attention.
“They realised that Muslims killing one another doesn’t gain traction. When Muslims start killing Christians, it causes an uproar. That is the honest truth,” he said.
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