A sharp disagreement has emerged between the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, and the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) over allegations of genocide against Christians in the country.
While the Sultan dismissed claims of any form of genocide, whether against Christians or Muslims, as untrue, CAN accused the Presidency of misrepresenting its position on the ongoing killings of Christians across parts of Northern Nigeria and the Middle Belt.
Speaking on Monday in Birnin Kebbi at the opening of the Northern Traditional Rulers Assembly Meeting, the Sultan insisted that no genocide had occurred in Nigeria.
“There is no way that somebody, either a Muslim or a Christian, will be killed without the knowledge of the traditional rulers of the community where such a person belongs,” he said.
“I challenge anybody in the country or even abroad on such genocide activities in Nigeria—on where, who and how it happened.”
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The spiritual leader of Nigerian Muslims also cautioned the public against what he described as the growing spread of misinformation through social media, urging the federal government to regulate online platforms to curb false narratives that could inflame tensions.
“Most of the postings made by social media users are not true. They must be verified before people believe them,” he warned.
However, the Christian Association of Nigeria had insisted that the systematic killing of Christians in many parts of the North and the Middle Belt amounted to nothing less than “a Christian genocide”.
In a statement signed by Archbishop Daniel Okoh, CAN President, the body condemned what it called a “completely false” and “grossly unfair” portrayal of its views by the Presidency.
The controversy followed a visit by Barrister Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Policy Communication, to the CAN Secretariat at the National Christian Centre, Abuja, earlier in the week. The meeting, intended to clarify CAN’s stance on comments by United States Senator Ted Cruz, who had described the killings of Christians in Nigeria as a “Christian genocide”, later became the source of contention.
According to CAN, a subsequent press statement from the Presidency titled “Presidency Debunks Western Christian Genocide Narrative in Dialogue with CAN Leadership” falsely implied that Archbishop Okoh had dismissed the killings as a “so-called Christian genocide”.
“That portrayal is completely false and grossly unfair,” Archbishop Okoh said.
“The meeting was recorded by CAN’s media team, and at no point did I use such words or express such a view. Referring to the tragedy as a ‘so-called genocide’ trivialises the pain of countless Christians who have lost loved ones, homes and places of worship in targeted attacks.”
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The CAN statement reiterated that Christian communities in several Northern and Middle Belt states have for years faced “repeated, organised and brutal attacks which have left thousands dead, villages destroyed and families displaced.”
The Christian body called on the federal government and security agencies to take “urgent, fair and transparent” steps to end the killings and bring all perpetrators to justice.
“Our commitment to peace does not mean silence in the face of injustice,” CAN’s statement read. “Truth must always guide engagement between the Church, the State and the public.”
