Christian Genocide: Nigerian Muslims call on Trump to reverse Country of Concern label

The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) has condemned the decision by former U.S. President Donald Trump to redesignate Nigeria as a “country of particular concern” (CPC), describing the move as politically motivated and misleading.

Speaking at a press briefing in Abuja on Sunday, NSCIA Secretary-General, Ishaq Oloyede, emphasized that Nigeria’s security challenges are complex and multidimensional, stemming from poor governance, climate stress, and criminality, not religion.

“We have not been emphasising the killing of Muslims, not because we are unaware that Muslims are being killed, but because we do not view what is going on as a religious war, but as a national security issue,” Oloyede said.

He criticized “Islamophobic and unpatriotic groups” in the U.S. for spreading false narratives that portray Nigeria as legalizing “Christian genocide,” calling Trump’s labeling of the country “disgraceful.”

Oloyede noted that international conventions, including the Rome Statute, define genocide as an act intended to destroy a particular group, a condition he said does not exist in Nigeria.

Both Muslims and Christians have been victims of indiscriminate violence by terrorist groups like Boko Haram and ISWAP, which target mosques and churches alike.

He accused some U.S. politicians and Nigerian separatists abroad of exploiting the country’s crisis for political and financial gain, while also criticizing certain factions of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) for amplifying falsehoods about religious persecution.

At the same time, he commended Christian leaders who acknowledged that the violence is not religiously motivated.

Oloyede urged the Nigerian government to strengthen efforts to protect all citizens and hold both domestic and foreign actors accountable. He warned that further CPC designations could harm all Nigerians, Muslims and Christians alike.

The NSCIA called on Trump to retract his remarks and instead offer genuine support through intelligence sharing, logistics, and capacity building, stressing that “partnership, not prejudice, is what Nigeria needs.”

“We will not allow our country to be fragmented by a foreign agenda. Our unity as a nation will endure.”

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