The Director General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Lanre Issa-Onilu, has dismissed allegations of a “Christian genocide” in Nigeria, describing them as false and a result of flawed U.S. intelligence.
Issa-Onilu made the statement during the monthly joint security press briefing held on Monday at the NOA headquarters in Abuja, following Nigeria’s recent redesignation by the United States as a “Country of Particular Concern” over alleged religious persecution.
The move came after former U.S. President Donald Trump, in a post on his Truth Social platform over the weekend, accused Nigerian authorities of turning a blind eye to the killing of Christians. Trump claimed that the U.S. would “stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria” and could even “enter the country guns a-blazing” if the killings continued.
Responding to the remarks, the NOA boss said the U.S. assessment was inaccurate and unfair to Nigeria.
“Let me speak specifically to some of the import of the tweet. One is to say that the Christian genocide in Nigeria — I’m sure even America knows that is not true,” Issa-Onilu said.
“This is not the first time that the intelligence of the United States has failed America. It failed them in Iraq, where it turned out there were no weapons of mass destruction. It failed them in Libya and many other instances. So I’m sure this is another error in their intelligence gathering.”
Issa-Onilu added that recent changes in Nigeria’s security leadership show that the Federal Government is taking serious steps to strengthen internal security and address communal and religious violence.
“A country that is not working seriously on the issue of security will not take such drastic steps as the President just took last week, changing the top echelons of the military to ensure the system is rejigged and empowered to do more,” he said.
He disclosed that the National Security Adviser (NSA) and the newly appointed service chiefs were expected to brief the media later in the day from the Office of the NSA to provide a comprehensive response to the U.S. allegations.
Nigeria was first designated a Country of Particular Concern in 2020 under the U.S. International Religious Freedom Act, but the designation was lifted in 2021 during President Joe Biden’s administration.
The latest redesignation has reignited debate over Nigeria’s human rights record and the accuracy of U.S. intelligence assessments regarding religious violence in Africa’s most populous nation.
The Federal Government has repeatedly maintained that it remains committed to protecting all citizens, regardless of faith, citing ongoing counterterrorism operations and peace-building initiatives across the country.
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