Former presidential aide, Reno Omokri, has strongly dismissed claims by popular U.S. political talk show host Bill Maher that Christians are being systematically targeted and killed in Nigeria.
Maher, host of Real Time with Bill Maher, made the claim in response to a viral video featuring a man with a Nigerian accent alleging that over 500,000 Christians were killed in Nigeria last year. The video, widely circulated by international influencers including Radio Genoa, an anti-Islamic personality, has been criticized for spreading misinformation.
In a statement, Omokri described Maher’s claim as “preposterous” and said it contradicts globally recognized statistics on terrorism and violent deaths. “Mr. Maher ought to know that there is an apolitical global body, the Institute for Economics and Peace, which publishes the Global Terrorism Index annually,” he said. “According to their 2024 report, a total of 8,352 people died from terror and insecurity in Nigeria last year. Even when added to the 36,000 civilians killed by armed conflicts worldwide, Maher’s figure of 100,000 to 500,000 Christians is baseless.”
Omokri acknowledged that Nigeria faces security challenges, including banditry, farmer/herder clashes in the Northwest and Middle Belt, and an Islamic insurgency in the Northeast, which he said is largely subsiding. He highlighted that perpetrators of major attacks, such as the St. Theresa Catholic Church bombing in Madalla (2011) and the St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church attack in Owo (2022), have been apprehended and are facing prosecution.
He also noted that victims of terrorism and banditry in Nigeria include both Christians and Muslims, with the majority of fatalities in the Northwest—the heartland of Islam—being Muslims. According to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), 13,485 people have died in attacks between 2010 and 2023, far below Maher’s exaggerated figures.
Omokri further credited Christian leaders, such as Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, for preventing attempts by terrorists to incite religious retaliation.
“The point is to dispel the propaganda spread by either ignorant or mischievous persons about a genocide in Nigeria. Such claims are dangerous and entirely fictional,” Omokri concluded.
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