A former presidential aide, Reno Omokri, has described as false claims by American talk show host Bill Maher that Christians are being systematically killed in genocide in Nigeria.
In a viral clip from his show Real Time with Bill Maher, Maher claimed that up to 500,000 Christians were killed in the country, describing the situation as genocide.
The video was shared by international influencers, including Radio Genoa, an anti-Islamic personality on X.
Omokri responded in a statement on Sunday, stating that the genocide claims were unfounded and contradicted global records on terrorism and insecurity.
“According to the Institute’s 2024 Global Terrorism Index, a total of 8,352 people died from terror and insecurity last year.
“Even when you add this to the 36,000 civilians the United Nations says were killed by armed conflicts globally in the same year, you will agree with me that it is preposterous to allege that half a million Christians were killed in Nigeria last year, or Mr. Maher’s more conservative figure of 100,000,” he said.
No genocide against Christians in Nigeria – FG
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He emphasized that insecurity in Nigeria affects both Christians and Muslims, noting that more Muslims had been killed in recent years.
“According to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data, ACLED, between 2010 and 2023, 13,485 people have died in these attacks, with the vast majority being Muslims. Bad enough. But nowhere near 500,000 or 100,000,” Omokri explained.
The former presidential assistant claimed that terrorists initially tried to spark a religious conflict but were stymied by Christian leaders’ maturity.
In the same vein, former Aviation Minister Femi Fani-Kayode and President Bola Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Social Media, Dada Olusegun, have dismissed claims by American television host Bill Maher that Nigeria is experiencing systemic killings of Christians.
The two Nigerian political leaders claimed that the claims misrepresent the country’s security position, risk inflaming religious divisions, and jeopardize the progress of existing counterterrorism measures.
