Information Minister Mohammed Idris on Friday touted sweeping security successes under President Bola Tinubu’s administration, revealing that over 13,500 terrorists and criminals have been neutralised and 17,000 arrested since May 2023, as he pushed back against US claims of Christian genocide during a key TV interview.
The figures, drawn from security agency reports, were disclosed on Channels Television’s Politics Today amid scrutiny from a recent US House Subcommittee on Africa hearing, where lawmakers accused Abuja of downplaying faith-based killings and urged aid conditions.
Idris emphasised judicial follow-through, stating: “Many of them, even as we speak today, some of them have had their days in court, some of them have been sentenced.”
He expressed profound sorrow over the violence, adding: “The President is deeply saddened. The administration is generally deeply saddened. We don’t need to have a situation where anybody, for that matter, is killed, whether he’s Christian or Muslim. That is one. Wherever that person may be, it’s not good for our country, it’s not good for anybody. No one should be happy that anybody is losing their life for no just reason.”
Rejecting the genocide label, Idris clarified: “Do we have people killed? Yes. Is it a good thing? No. Is the government doing anything about it? Quite a lot. But there is something very fundamental that we all need to talk about. And that is the designation or the perception in some form, some quarters that there is what is called religious genocide in Nigeria. No, there isn’t. What we are seeing is that people are being killed, Christians are being killed in some parts, just as Muslims are being killed. It’s a sad one. No one should be happy for that.”
The minister’s defence arrives as Washington weighs sanctions, with critics like US Congressman Bill Huizenga charging the Tinubu government with inaction. Idris insisted on progress, crediting enhanced operations for the arrests and eliminations in hotspots like Borno and Zamfara.
