News
No proof of Christian genocide in Nigeria, AU insists
Mahmoud Youssouf, chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission, has said there is no evidence of targeted Christian killings in northern Nigeria.
Speaking to journalists at the United Nations in New York, Youssouf stressed that the security situation in the region is too complex to be categorised as Christian genocide.
He explained that Boko Haram’s earliest victims were Muslims, not Christians, noting that this fact is backed by documented evidence. According to him, attempts to frame the crisis as genocide oversimplify the realities on the ground.
“The first victims of Boko Haram are Muslims, not Christians. And I’m saying it with documented references,” he said. He added that northern Nigeria’s insecurity cannot be described “with such very easy words that can be used in not reasonable way”.
Youssouf said the AU has been consistent in its position, insisting again that “there is no genocide in northern Nigeria”.
The comment follows renewed claims of Christian genocide pushed across social media and amplified by some high-profile political figures in the United States.
Some US lawmakers recently urged Secretary of State Marco Rubio to take immediate diplomatic action against Nigeria over what they described as the “systematic persecution and slaughter of Christians”.
In reaction to those concerns, former US President Donald Trump designated Nigeria a “country of particular concern (CPC)” for alleged Christian persecution and warned that the Nigerian government must “move fast” or risk losing all US aid.
He further threatened to unleash the department of war against terrorists attacking Christian communities.
While the Nigerian government has strongly rejected the allegations, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) maintains that Christian communities across the country have continued to suffer repeated and brutal attacks.
Follow Us on Google Discover
Mbappé makes history, Saka nets hat-trick as England clinch World Cup bronze with thrilling 6-4 victory over France
Gombe 2027: PDP aspirant withdraws court case, backs Pantami
Arabic Education should be integrated into national curriculum – Gov. Bala Mohammed
Obi/Kwankwaso ticket cannot win 2027 elections, NDC lone senator, Hanga says as he plots defection to APC
UNICAL moves to curb exam fraud, sacks eight staff, penalizes one
TCN announces power blackout in Yobe, Bauchi, Gombe, three other Northern states
Police nab eight suspected cultists over alleged assault on Bayelsa Varsity student
Tems makes history as first African female artist with US Diamond-certified single
Imo now one-party state, our people have decided to re-elect Tinubu in 2027, Says Uzodimma
Court sentences two men to death by hanging for raping, murdering 17-year-old girl in Anambra
Trump criticises Tuchel’s tactics after England’s World Cup exit to Argentina
NBA Presidential Poll: Badejo-Okusanya leads as voting continues after cyberattack delay
APC crisis deepens as Aiyedatiwa’s loyalists sue party, INEC over Ondo primaries
NUJ FCT Chairman Grace Ike wins Beacon of Education Award, pledges support for children with special needs
5.0-magnitude quake rocks Southeastern Turkey
8 Public assets named after Tinubu since becoming president (Full List)
JUST IN: Three face trial over Oyo schoolchildren, teachers’ abduction
Supreme Court directs final forfeiture of Emefiele’s properties
TCN announces power blackout in Yobe, Bauchi, Gombe, three other Northern states
Ex-President Goodluck Jonathan’s son bags degree in UK
Court sentences two men to death by hanging for raping, murdering 17-year-old girl in Anambra
APC crisis deepens as Aiyedatiwa’s loyalists sue party, INEC over Ondo primaries
FG renames Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway after President Tinubu
Yobe approves ₦460.8m support for Akara sellers, Women petty traders
Bauchi 2027: APC picks ex-Bala Mohammed campaign DG Faruk Mustapha as Deputy Gov candidate
BREAKING: Andy Burnham confirmed as UK Labour leader
Imo now one-party state, our people have decided to re-elect Tinubu in 2027, Says Uzodimma
Court dismisses suit seeking INEC recognition of Turaki-led PDP interim NWC
It’s too early to judge Tinubu’s gov’t, Nigerians must be patient – Jide Kosoko
