The tension between Nigeria’s top religious bodies is heating up as the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria and the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs lock horns over claims of a Christian genocide in the country.
At a press briefing in Abuja on Sunday, the Secretary-General of the NSCIA, Professor Is-haq Oloyede, dismissed the genocide narrative as false, dangerous, and politically motivated.
He accused Western media and some political figures of twisting Nigeria’s insecurity into a religious war to destabilize the country. According to him, the real issue is poverty, bad governance, climate-driven migration, and criminality not religious persecution.
But the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria isn’t buying it.
PFN President, Bishop Wale Oke, insists there is a Christian genocide happening in Nigeria. Speaking during a visit to the Olubadan of Ibadan, he said:
“There’s no other name to call it. No Christian group is attacking Muslims. The patience of the Church is being stretched.”
This debate comes just days after the United States, under President Donald Trump, re-listed Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” citing continued attacks and killings. Trump even warned that America could send troops if Nigeria’s government fails to act.
The NSCIA, however, says the U.S. move is political, not factual, urging Washington to support Nigeria with intelligence and logistics instead of what it called smear campaigns.
Meanwhile, voices within the political space are calling for caution.
An APC chieftain, Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, warned that inviting foreign troops could worsen the crisis. He advised Nigerians to unite behind President Tinubu in tackling terrorism, noting that both Christians and Muslims have suffered equally.
“This is not a time to play opposition politics,” he said. “Getting equipment and intelligence is good but foreign boots on our soil could complicate things.”
As the controversy deepens, analysts say Nigeria is walking a fine line between confronting insecurity and avoiding religious polarisation.
For now, both faith leaders agree on one thing Nigerians are bleeding, and urgent action is needed.
The PFN calls it persecution. The NSCIA calls it propaganda. The government calls for calm.
But Nigerians are asking: how long before the killings truly stop?
