JUST IN: Ndume leads Senate motion to address Christian genocide claims

The Senate is set to deliberate on a motion sponsored by Senator Ali Ndume (APC, Borno South), alongside co-sponsors Senators Sani Musa (APC, Niger East), Aliyu Wamakko (APC, Sokoto North), and Ibrahim Bomai (APC, Yobe South), seeking to address allegations of systemic genocide against Christians in Nigeria as plenary resumes on Tuesday.

The motion, titled “Urgent Need to Correct Misconceptions Regarding the Purported ‘Christian Genocide’ Narrative in Nigeria and International Communities,” calls on the federal government, particularly the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and relevant security agencies, to adopt a data-driven approach to public communication.

It also urges the release of verified casualty figures, contextual reports, and investigative findings on victims of insecurity to counter the spread of misinformation both within and outside the country.

Senator Ndume and his co-sponsors said the motion seeks to correct what they described as “dangerous misrepresentations” of Nigeria’s security challenges being portrayed as a campaign of Christian genocide.

Ndume expressed concern over the “increasing circulation of misleading narratives” alleging a systematic genocide against Christians, while stressing that violence in Nigeria affects citizens of all faiths, including Muslims and adherents of other religions.

He warned that interpreting the nation’s security crisis in purely religious terms risks inflaming sectarian tensions, distorting international perception, and undermining national unity.

The lawmaker noted that Nigeria’s security challenges—including terrorism, insurgency, banditry, and communal clashes—have claimed lives and property among both Christian and Muslim communities.

Ndume further raised concern over recent moves in the U.S. Congress to designate Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” over alleged religious persecution, urging the federal government to engage international partners with facts-based communication to correct such misconceptions.