It began with a voice on a faith-based radio station in the United States. Wednesday morning. Calm. Then chaos. The host declared that Christians in Nigeria were being rounded up, locked in churches, and burnt alive. He urged his listeners to call their congressmen. To demand action. To mount pressure until Nigeria was punished.
What was stunning was not only the horror of the claim, but by its certainty. The voice did not tremble. It did not question. It did not cite. It simply declared.
But the truth is more complex. And complexity, when ignored, becomes a weapon.
The broadcaster did not wake up and say unto himself, “Verily, verily, today I will invent genocide.” He was reacting to reports—unverified, emotionally charged, and tragically misleading. Reports that even the President of the United States acted upon. Reports built on data that the Global Disinformation Unit has now exposed as exaggerated, opaque, and sectarian.
THE REPORT: A Forensic Dissection of the Narrative
The BBC’s Global Disinformation Unit’s investigation, “Are Christians Being Persecuted in Nigeria as Trump Claims?”, revealed that the Nigerian rights group Intersociety claimed 125,000 Christians had been killed and 19,000 churches destroyed since 2009. These figures were not supported by itemized documentation. When pressed, Intersociety accused the investigators of bias.
The report found that Intersociety’s framing was ethno-religious, presenting Nigeria’s multifaceted insecurity as a targeted anti-Christian campaign. In reality, many victims of jihadist violence in Nigeria are Muslims. The data simply didn’t add up.
THE OPEN SOURCE IMPERATIVE: Truth Must Be Traceable
In an age of digital advocacy, truth must be verifiable. The BBC Global Disinformation Unit leaned on open-source intelligence—public data, satellite imagery, and geolocation tools—to test Intersociety’s claims. What it found was troubling: no itemized lists, no geotagged evidence, no transparent methodology. Just summaries stacked on summaries, framed to provoke.
If Nigeria’s story is to be told with integrity, it must embrace open-source transparency—not just to counter falsehoods, but to build trust.
NIGERIA’S RESPONSE: Not Silent, Not Idle
The Nigerian government has never denied that Christians have been killed or churches burnt. What it disputes—rightly—is the claim that it has done nothing.
Under Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as President, thousands of terrorists and rogue actors have been killed or arrested. Security operations have intensified. The President has met with Catholic bishops and other Christian leaders, appointed Christians to key positions, and repeatedly emphasized religious tolerance.
Presidential adviser Daniel Bwala stated: “There is no Christian genocide. Nigeria does not discriminate in its fight against insecurity.” Minister Festus Keyamo added that most security chiefs are Christians, and that the President’s commitment to religious harmony is not in doubt.
Yet fatigue persists. Nigerians want lasting peace—not temporary relief or pronouncements steeped in sympathy and concern. They want to sleep with both eyes closed.
THE IPOB/ESN FACTOR: A Distorted Lens
Intersociety’s narrative also ignored the violence perpetrated by IPOB and its armed wing, ESN, in Nigeria’s Southeast—where most victims are Christians.
• IPOB has been designated a terrorist organization by Nigerian courts.
• It has been linked to murders, including those of Ahmed Gulak and Dr. Chike Akunyili, and to attacks on police stations, INEC offices, and civilians.
• Its reign of terror has destabilized communities, destroyed public institutions, and silenced dissent.
To frame Nigeria’s crisis as a one-sided religious war is not just inaccurate—it is dangerous.
LESSONS FOR THE U.S. AND NIGERIA
For the U.S.:
• Verify before acting. Emotional appeals must be tested against facts.
• Use diplomatic channels. A direct call to President Tinubu could have fostered collaboration, not hostility.
• Avoid sectarian framing. Nigeria’s violence is complex—religious, ethnic, economic.
For Nigeria:
• Invest in transparent data to counter misinformation.
• Protect all communities—Christians, Muslims, and others—with equal vigor.
• Engage globally to reclaim its narrative and build trust.
FINAL WORD: Truth as Legacy
This is not a call to silence suffering. It is a call to clarify it. To dignify it. To ensure that advocacy is built on truth, not trauma theatre.
Nigeria’s story must not be outsourced to those who profit from its pain. Nor should its friends abroad act on emotion alone. The stakes are too high. The wounds too deep.
Let us build a legacy of truth. Not just for Christians. Not just for Muslims. But for Nigeria.
#DisinformationUnmasked
#OpenSourceTruth
#NigeriaNarrative
#FaithAndFacts
#GlobalIntegrity
#SecurityNotSectarianism
#Nigeria
BBC News
European Union in Nigeria
BY: OLABODE OPESEITAN
