The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) has rejected the redesignation of Nigeria as a “country of particular concern” by the United States, insisting that the nation’s security crisis is not rooted in religion but in governance and criminality.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Sunday, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, the Secretary-General of the NSCIA, faulted the decision of former U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration to include Nigeria on the watchlist, describing it as “an act of political cynicism.”
According to Oloyede, while Nigeria is battling insecurity, the violence being experienced across the country is driven by multiple factors — including poverty, poor governance, climate challenges, and banditry — rather than a clash between Christians and Muslims.
“We have deliberately refrained from portraying the killings in Nigeria as religious because they are not,” he said.
“Both Muslims and Christians are victims of the same insecurity, and to frame it as a religious war is misleading and dangerous.”
He accused “Islamophobic and unpatriotic groups” abroad of spreading false narratives that Nigeria is witnessing “Christian genocide” to gain sympathy and financial advantage.
“It is unfortunate that the President of the United States would label our country in such disgraceful terms,” Oloyede said.
“Nigeria deserves international cooperation and support, not insults from supposed partners.”
The NSCIA warned that the U.S. designation could be a ploy to destabilise Nigeria, noting that global conventions, including the Rome Statute, define genocide as the intent to destroy a particular group — a situation that does not exist in Nigeria.
Citing data from Amnesty International and the International Crisis Group, Oloyede said terrorist organisations such as Boko Haram and ISWAP have attacked both mosques and churches indiscriminately.
“These terrorists are enemies of Islam and humanity,” he stressed. “They neither represent Islam nor the values we stand for.”
The NSCIA also criticised some Nigerian groups and politicians abroad for allegedly exploiting insecurity to gain asylum or attract international attention, while expressing disappointment with the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) for what it described as the amplification of “false claims.”
However, Oloyede commended some Christian leaders who have acknowledged that the country’s violence is not religiously motivated.
He urged the Nigerian government to take stronger action against all forms of violence and to hold both local and foreign actors accountable for divisive propaganda.
“Running to America or foreign lobbyists will not solve our problem. If Nigeria is again designated as a country of particular concern, all citizens — Muslims and Christians alike — will suffer,” he warned.
The council urged the U.S. government to withdraw the designation and instead work with Nigeria through intelligence sharing, logistics support, and human capacity development.
“Partnership, not prejudice, is what Nigeria needs,” Oloyede said. “We will not allow foreign interests to divide us. Our unity as a nation will endure.”
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