AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): While certain American politicians, including former President Donald Trump and Republican Senator Ted Cruz, have claimed that Christians in Nigeria face an “existential threat,” field reports and independent data indicate that such assertions are largely political tools used to pressure the Nigerian government rather than reflections of reality.
Trump recently alleged that “Islamic terrorists” are carrying out “mass killings” in Nigeria and threatened to suspend U.S. aid and take military action if the situation continues. Similarly, Ted Cruz has proposed sanctions against Nigerian officials, accusing them of “enabling Islamist violence.”
However, data analysis from the U.S.-based organization “Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED)” shows that between 2020 and 2025, the number of Muslim victims of terrorist attacks has surpassed that of Christians, with 385 attacks against Christians resulting in 317 deaths, compared to 417 Muslim fatalities. Experts emphasize that most violence in Nigeria stems from ethnic, political, and resource-based conflicts, not religious divisions.
The Nigerian government, through extensive military operations since 2023, has eliminated over 13,000 militants and forced more than 124,000 armed personnel and their families to surrender. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has affirmed that his country will combat terrorism in all its forms, but stated that “claims of religious bias against Christians do not align with Nigeria’s realities.”
Observers believe that the revival of these allegations, following Nigeria’s address at the United Nations General Assembly supporting the two-state solution in Palestine, is an attempt to weaken Abuja’s political stance and exploit religious tensions. They also suggest that such accusations serve as a cover for the Zionist regime’s ongoing crimes in Gaza.
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