Alleged genocide: Boko Haram killing more Muslims than Christians - Lai Mohammed
Former Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has dismissed claims of a targeted genocide against Christians in Nigeria, saying insurgent groups have killed more Muslims than Christians. Mohammed spoke
Former Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has dismissed claims of a targeted genocide against Christians in Nigeria, saying insurgent groups have killed more Muslims than Christians.
Mohammed spoke on Wednesday in the United Kingdom while fielding questions from students of Abbey College, Cambridge.
The session was organised to give students from diverse backgrounds an opportunity to engage on developments in Nigeria, particularly governance and youth participation in politics.
Responding to a question on religious persecution especially against Christians, the former minister said narratives of a “Christian genocide” in Nigeria are inaccurate.
“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,” he said.
Mohammed argued that Nigeria’s security challenges are complex and not driven by a deliberate campaign to eliminate any religious group.
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“Nigeria as a country has challenges that will not be resolved by genocide against any religion,” he added.
He said Boko Haram initially emerged as a movement targeting Muslims who embraced Western education, noting that early victims were largely 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.
“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.”
Mohammed added that the group later expanded its attacks to Christians, partly to attract wider 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.
The former minister also dismissed claims that banditry in Nigeria is driven by religion, describing it instead as a criminal enterprise affecting people of the same ethnic and religious backgrounds.
“The bandits are Muslims, they are Hausa-Fulanis. Their victims are Muslims, they are Hausa-Fulanis. So how can you now talk about religion? It has nothing to do with religion,” he said.
Mohammed maintained that records show Muslims account for the largest number of victims of insurgent attacks in Nigeria.
He further emphasised what he described as Nigeria’s long-standing culture of religious tolerance.
“We have a spirit of religious tolerance in Nigeria and I challenge anyone to say that it is not true. People can hide under anything to commit crime but one, it is not a policy. Number two, the average Nigerian is not bothered about your religion or ethnicity,” he said.
“In Nigeria, the average Muslim and Christian only disagree over money. They won’t disagree over theology. They are more concerned about the economy and ways of life. That is why you have many Christians marrying Muslims and vice versa.”
Citing an example, Mohammed pointed to President Bola Tinubu and the First Lady, Oluremi.
“Look at our president, Bola Tinubu. He is a Muslim while the wife is a leader of Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG). That is the Nigeria I know and I am very proud of,” he said.
He reiterated his position that the narrative of a Christian genocide in Nigeria is unfounded.
“So, this narrative about Christian genocide, it is not true and we must vigorously use public communication to challenge it,” he added.
