Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, on Monday dismissed allegations that Christians were being targeted and killed in Nigeria under the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led government.
Speaking during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Wike described the claims of genocide under President Bola Tinubu’s administration as “politics taken too far.”
“It is an indictment that a government I am serving, anybody will allege that that government is supporting genocide, killing of Christians and I am still in that government. This is politics taken too far. The Inspector General of Police is a Christian, the Director General of State Security Service is a Christian, the Chief of Defence (Staff) is a Christian. Tell me how any right-thinking person will think that we will seat in a government and support the killing of our own people?” he queried.
According to the minister, no responsible Nigerian leader would take pleasure in the killing of citizens in any part of the country, stressing that such incidents cause pain to everyone in leadership.
His comments came amid a controversial statement by US President Donald Trump, who over the weekend accused the Nigerian government of allowing widespread killings of Christians.
In a post on his Truth Social platform on Saturday, Trump claimed he had directed the Pentagon to draw up a potential plan of attack against Nigeria, a day after warning that Christianity was “facing an existential threat” in Africa’s most populous nation.
Trump wrote that if Nigeria failed to stop the violence, the United States would strike back, saying, “it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our CHERISHED Christians.”
The former U.S. president reiterated the threat on Sunday, saying he was considering “a lot of things,” including possible military action or air strikes, following the Nigerian presidency’s call for dialogue to resolve the issue.
“They’re killing the Christians and killing them in very large numbers. We’re not going to allow that to happen,” Trump added.
When asked whether he was concerned about Trump’s threat of possible U.S. intervention, Wike avoided a direct response but said there could be “misinformation or distortion” surrounding the issue.
“There could be some misinformation or distortion. It’s unfortunate,” he stated.
