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Muslim lives matter too, Nigeria replies US over ‘Christian genocide’ claims

Bayo Onanuga, special adviser on Information & Strategy

Muslim lives matter too, Nigeria replies US over ‘Christian genocide’ claims

The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, has told US Secretary Marco Rubio that Muslim lives matter too, in response to Rubio’s claim that thousands of Christians are being slaughtered in Nigeria by radical groups.

Rubio had described the alleged killings of Christians by Islamist and Fulani militias as tragic and unacceptable, saying the United States was prepared to take action.

He wrote on X: “The ongoing slaughter of thousands of Christians in Nigeria by radical Islamists and Fulani ethnic militias is both tragic and unacceptable. As @POTUS said, the United States stands ready, willing, and able to act.”

Reacting to the claim, Onanuga countered the statement, insisting there was no ongoing genocide against Christians in Nigeria.

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He explained that the violence in some parts of the country was being carried out by terrorists and bandits who attacked people indiscriminately — including both Christians and Muslims — as well as places of worship.

He added that what Nigeria needs from the United States is military assistance to fight violent extremists, not a designation as a country of particular concern.

“Secretary Rubio, Muslim lives matter too,” he wrote.

In another X post, Onanuga said, “Dear Secretary Rubio, there is no ongoing slaughter of thousands of Christians in Nigeria. This is a gross exaggeration of the Nigerian situation. What we do have are sporadic attacks on some villages by bandits and terrorists, and the attacks are religiously insensitive. Christians, Muslims, churches, and mosques are attacked randomly. What our country requires from America is military support to fight these violent extremists in some states of our country, not designation as a nation of particular concern.”