Foreign Hands and the Dangerous Narratives Hurting Nigeria
By Mukhtar Ya’u Madobi
In an age where narratives travel faster than bullets, Nigeria once again finds itself confronting not only physical insecurity but also a fierce war of perception. The nation’s image, sovereignty, and social fabric are increasingly under siege from distorted portrayals, particularly those framing the country as a stage for genocide against Christians.
The recent surge of such accusations from foreign figures underscores the urgent need for Nigeria to mobilize every instrument of state power and civic engagement to defend its truth, unity, and stability—before these falsehoods inflict irreparable damage on our fragile peace and national cohesion.
Lately, some U.S. politicians and public commentators have amplified sensational claims of religious persecution in Nigeria. Senator Ted Cruz alleged that 50,000 Christians have been killed since 2009 and that 2,000 schools and 18,000 churches have been destroyed by so-called “Islamist” groups. Yet, he cited no verifiable source for these alarming figures.
Based on these unfounded claims, Cruz introduced a bill in the U.S. Senate—the Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act 2025—seeking to sanction Nigerian officials allegedly complicit in what he termed “targeted killings.” Similarly, Congressman Riley Moore urged the U.S. Secretary of State to designate Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” over alleged Christian persecution and even called for the suspension of U.S. arms sales to Nigeria.
He claimed that 7,000 Christians have been killed this year alone, but, like Cruz, failed to present credible evidence from reputable institutions such as the United Nations, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, or even the U.S. Embassy in Abuja, which maintains extensive intelligence on Nigeria’s security realities.
The misinformation did not end there. Bill Maher, a well-known American talk show host, joined the chorus, claiming that Boko Haram had killed 100,000 Christians and destroyed 18,000 churches since 2009, arguing that the world ignored these atrocities because “Jews aren’t involved.”
Dramatic as it sounded, Maher’s claim—like the others—rests on recycled falsehoods and dangerous exaggerations. What unites these narratives is their lack of verifiable data and their shared intent to cast Nigeria in a negative light before the international community.
Nigeria’s government has acknowledged its ongoing security challenges but firmly rejected these baseless accusations. The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has also clarified that, while Christians have indeed suffered from violence, the killings have not been targeted exclusively at any single faith.
As CAN’s Director of National Issues and Social Welfare, Abimbola Ayuba, rightly observed: “In some Christian-dominated states like Benue, it may appear as if Christians are being killed. But this same insurgency has claimed several Muslims in their early morning prayers; they attack them in mosques, slaughter them, kidnap people, and do a lot of things.”
This statement reveals a critical truth—Nigeria’s insecurity is multidimensional and indiscriminate, affecting both Christians and Muslims, the rich and the poor, urban and rural dwellers alike.
In reality, terrorism, banditry, and communal violence in Nigeria are driven more by competition for resources, economic grievances, and governance failures than by religious motives. According to the U.S. State Department’s 2023 Report on International Religious Freedom, armed groups in Nigeria have targeted both mosques and churches without distinction.
In the first half of 2025 alone, terrorists and bandits reportedly killed over 2,200 civilians in Northern Nigeria, where Muslims form the majority. Moreover, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) 2025 Report acknowledges that both Christians and Muslims have been victims of violence.
These facts underscore that no particular group holds a monopoly on suffering. The assertions by Cruz, Moore, and others—that Christians alone are being massacred in Nigeria—are therefore not only misleading but dangerously inflammatory.
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They risk deepening existing fault lines, sowing mistrust among communities, and providing oxygen to extremists eager to exploit division. Any attempt to block arms sales to Nigeria or sanction its officials based on these false narratives would, in fact, embolden terrorists and undermine ongoing efforts to stabilize the country.
It is a tragic irony that such actions, cloaked in the rhetoric of human rights, would ultimately harm the very civilians they claim to protect. Nigeria’s current security crisis is a complex web of insurgency, banditry, kidnapping, and communal conflict—all of which transcend religion.
Thousands of Muslims and Christians, including security personnel, have paid the ultimate price defending the nation. Their collective sacrifice deserves respect and recognition, not foreign distortion or political manipulation.
The persistence of these foreign smears exposes something deeper: that Nigeria’s disunity has made it more vulnerable to external narratives. Former National Security Adviser, Maj.-Gen. Babagana Monguno (rtd), recently lamented that the lack of national cohesion continues to fuel insecurity.
He noted that terrorists thrive by exploiting Nigeria’s fault lines—ethnic, religious, and political—and that without unity, the war against insurgency cannot be won. His warning is both timely and prophetic. Every rumor, every division, every hateful post shared online becomes a weapon in the arsenal of those who wish to destabilize the country.
This is where the National Orientation Agency (NOA) must rise to its historic responsibility. Created to foster patriotism, promote national values, and strengthen civic understanding, the agency holds the key to reversing divisive narratives.
But to fulfill this mandate effectively, the NOA must be reenergized, adequately funded, and empowered to reach every ward, village, and online space in Nigeria. It must evolve from a dormant bureaucracy into a strategic hub for counter-narratives and civic reawakening.
Through community sensitization, interfaith dialogues, and proactive media campaigns, the NOA can rebuild trust and reaffirm shared identity among Nigerians. Working with faith leaders, youth groups, and civil society, it can design campaigns that emphasize tolerance, solidarity, and the dangers of hate speech.
Using both traditional and digital media, it can promote stories of cooperation between Christians and Muslims—stories where neighbors stood together to protect one another from violence. The government must also recognize NOA’s work as a matter of national security.
Peace messaging should be backed by visible action—justice, inclusion, and development. Civil society, traditional rulers, and the media must equally embrace their duty to build a culture of truth, fact-checking, and responsible reporting that exposes and neutralizes divisive propaganda.
Furthermore, the Ministry of Information and Nigeria’s diplomatic corps must engage the international community with transparency and data. Rather than mere denials, Nigeria should present verifiable statistics on conflict casualties, displacement, and recovery efforts to counter misinformation and demonstrate accountability.
Ultimately, the battle for Nigeria’s image abroad is not just about foreign policy—it is a domestic struggle for unity, truth, and moral clarity. If Nigerians remain divided along religious or ethnic lines, foreign actors will continue to exploit these divisions for ideological or political ends. Our diversity, when rightly managed, is not a weakness but the foundation of peace and progress.
Now more than ever, Nigerians must close ranks and reject the false narratives peddled by those who profit from chaos. These foreign propagandists who claim to defend human rights while fanning the flames of discord must be exposed for what they are—merchants of destabilization.
If we unite as one people, amplify truth over falsehood, and strengthen our national orientation, Nigeria can turn this assault on its image into a renaissance of patriotism and solidarity.
If we fail to reclaim our story, others will continue to write it for us—in distortion, in division, and in deceit. But if we rise above suspicion and reaffirm our shared identity, we will not only defeat propaganda but also fortify the moral walls that guard our nation’s soul.
The time has come to speak truth boldly, to live in unity deliberately, and to ensure that the destiny of Nigeria remains firmly in Nigerian hands.
Mukhtar Ya’u Madobi is a Research Fellow at the Centre for Crisis Communication. He writes via [email protected]
