MURIC accuses Nigerian Christian leaders of using U.S. power to bully FG, Muslims

MURIC accuses Nigerian Christian leaders of using U.S. power to bully FG, Muslims

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has accused Nigerian Christian leaders of using the United States (US) as a “Christian superpower” to bully the Federal Government (FG) and subjugate Muslims in Nigeria.

The Islamic human rights advocacy group made the allegation in a statement issued on Tuesday, October 22, 2025, by its Executive Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola.

According to the group, recent reports of alleged “Christian genocide” in Nigeria were deliberately sent to the United States because the country is perceived as a Christian nation. MURIC questioned why such reports were not directed to African regional bodies such as the African Union (AU) or the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

“The report of Christian genocide was sent to the US because the latter is a Christian nation,” Akintola said. “If the intention was not domination via neo-imperialism, why not report to AU or ECOWAS, our closest neighbours?”

MURIC expressed concern that the Federal Government might succumb to what it described as “Christian blackmail,” warning that Nigerian Muslims must not be turned into “guinea pigs.”

The group insisted that both Christians and Muslims have suffered killings at the hands of terrorists, noting that religious bias in the media has distorted the narrative.

“It is noteworthy that Nigerian Muslims also complain of similar and even greater killings, although nobody appears to be listening,” the statement read. “Terrorists and criminals attack crowds where they can get the largest number of victims—whether in churches or mosques.”

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Citing statistics, MURIC claimed that while about 200 churches were destroyed in Northern Nigeria, nearly 6,000 mosques were demolished within the same region. The group said this reflected the higher number of mosques in the area, not selective targeting.

Akintola further accused sections of the Nigerian media of bias in their reportage, alleging that Christian victims are often identified by their faith, while Muslim victims are described vaguely as “worshippers” or “audience.”

“The killing of Christians is amplified, while that of Muslims is trivialized,” he said. “Why were Muslims not invited to narrate their own side of the story? What happened to the press principle of audi alteram partem (hear from the other side)?”

MURIC also criticised Christian leaders for what it described as a pattern of “rushing to America” to report the Nigerian government, saying such actions were intended to manipulate global sympathy and pressure the FG into granting “undeserved political and economic favours.”

“Nigerian Christians are brandishing U.S. power in our faces to blackmail the government and bully Muslims into silence,” Akintola declared. “Their reports always go to the U.S., never to the AU or ECOWAS.”

The organisation accused the United States of being “the leader of the Muslim-hating axis of the world,” citing its history of military interventions in Muslim countries and support for Israel.

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“What moral right has America to judge Nigeria after funding genocidal Israel? More than 68,000 people were killed in Gaza under its watch,” the group argued.

MURIC warned that if the current trend continued, Nigerian Muslims might begin to feel alienated from both the government and the broader society.

“It is now obvious that Nigerian Muslims have been turned into pawns in a chess game,” Akintola said. “The terrorists are killing Muslims from the left, the government is marginalizing them from the right, while powerful Christian nations intend to massacre them from the centre.”

The group called on the Federal Government to resist any external pressure or internal manipulation designed to favour one religious group over another.

“We call on the FG not to succumb to Christian blackmail gimmicks nor turn Nigerian Muslims into guinea pigs,” the statement concluded.

MURIC’s statement has added to the growing debate over religious persecution in Nigeria, a country frequently criticized internationally for recurring sectarian violence and insecurity across multiple regions.

 

MURIC accuses Nigerian Christian leaders of using U.S. power to bully FG, Muslims