Boko Haram attacks initially targeted Muslims, not Christians — Lai Mohammed

Former Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has said Boko Haram, at its early stage, primarily targeted Muslims rather than Christians, while dismissing claims of a targeted genocide against Christians in Nigeria as false and misleading.

Mohammed spoke on Wednesday in the United Kingdom while engaging students of Abbey College, Cambridge, during a session organised to provide a platform for discussions on Nigeria’s governance and youth participation in politics.

Responding to questions on alleged religious persecution in Nigeria, the former minister said the country’s security challenges were complex and not driven by any deliberate attempt to eliminate a particular faith group.

He stated that Boko Haram, at its inception, mainly attacked Muslims who rejected extremist ideology, insisting that early victims of the insurgency were largely Muslims rather than Christians.

According to him, the group later expanded its attacks to Christians in order to attract wider global attention and provoke stronger reactions.

“At the beginning, the victims of Boko Haram were largely Muslims, not Christians. Boko Haram started as a revolt by extreme Muslims against conventional Muslims,” he said.

Mohammed added that banditry in Nigeria was also not driven by religion, noting that both perpetrators and victims in many cases belong to the same ethnic and religious backgrounds.

The former minister further maintained that interfaith relations in the country remain largely peaceful, citing widespread intermarriages between Muslims and Christians as evidence of national cohesion.