At the Conservative Party Conference October 2025 in the United Kingdom, I raised an issue that too many have been willing to dilute or dismiss — the ongoing violence in northern Nigeria, and the growing evidence that Christian communities are being systematically targeted.
Equally troubling is how this reality has been neutralised by the Nigerian authorities, who consistently describe the crisis as mere “insecurity” or “communal conflict.” This language, far from being neutral, serves to erase the pattern of religious persecution unfolding across the region.
Official Neutralisation and Denial
The Nigerian government’s response to international concern has been one of denial and deflection.
In October 2025, the Minister of Information, Mohammed Idris, dismissed reports of targeted attacks against Christians, saying:
“Portraying Nigeria’s security challenges as a targeted campaign against a single religious group is a gross misrepresentation of reality… Such claims are false, baseless, despicable, and divisive.” — Federal Ministry of Information, October 2025
The Foreign Minister, Yusuf Tuggar, also rejected allegations of Christian persecution, stating:
“Lobby groups and even comedians — and they are comedians, we must not forget — are revving up these sentiments… These communal conflicts have been distorted to suit narratives of religious persecution.” — Semafor interview, October 2025
Likewise, Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told journalists:
“The Nigerian government does not deliberately indulge a particular religion to exterminate the other… Boko Haram and bandits kill both Christians and Muslims. It’s not that the targets are only Christians.” — The Whistler, October 2025
Countering the Neutralisation
These statements form a pattern — a deliberate rhetorical strategy to flatten the narrative and obscure the reality on the ground.
Yes, the violence in northern Nigeria is complex. It includes terrorism, banditry, and farmer-herder conflicts. Muslims and Christians alike have suffered unspeakable loss. But to recognise complexity is not to deny specificity — and the specific pattern of targeted attacks on Christian communities cannot be hidden behind euphemisms.
First, these attacks are not random. In Kaduna, Plateau, Benue, and southern Borno, entire Christian villages have been razed, churches torched, and congregations massacred. Meanwhile, neighbouring Muslim settlements have often been left untouched. That is a pattern — not coincidence.
Second, extremist groups like Boko Haram and ISWAP are explicit in their ideology. Their stated aim is to eliminate Christianity and impose a theocratic order. To reframe such violence as “resource conflict” or “general insecurity” is not just inaccurate — it is deceptive.
Third, when the government insists that “bandits kill everyone,” it blurs the truth that Christian populations are being systematically displaced from certain areas. Neutrality, in this context, becomes a form of complicity.
Finally, dismissing concerns as “foreign propaganda,” as Minister Tuggar did, only deepens suspicion that the state is unwilling to face an uncomfortable truth. When citizens cry out and the government’s first instinct is denial, it undermines both justice and trust.
The Cost of Neutrality
This so-called neutrality is not harmless — it has moral and political consequences. It protects impunity, silences victims, and distorts the historical record. By refusing to name the religious dimension of this violence, Nigeria’s authorities have effectively allowed the persecution of Christians to continue unacknowledged and unchallenged.
Acknowledging that Christians are being disproportionately attacked does not diminish the suffering of others. It simply recognises the full truth. Only by naming reality can justice and reconciliation begin.
A Call for Truth and Accountability
Nigeria cannot build peace on denial. The government must allow independent investigations into the patterns of violence, ensure accountability, and protect communities without bias.
Neutrality is not objectivity. In the face of systematic persecution, neutrality is moral failure. The longer Nigeria hides behind the language of “insecurity,” the deeper the wounds will become —and the harder national healing will be.
A nation that cannot say who is bleeding and why cannot heal. Naming the truth is not division — it is the first act of justice.
About the Author
Davida Ademuyiwa, MA (Law), is a British politician and former councillor from Basildon and Billericay. She is the Founder and Chair of Black Tories, Founder of DaviGlobal UK, an investment and trade firm connecting capital with emerging economies, and Co-Founder of the Nigeria Transformation Council, a diaspora-led policy think tank. Davida also serves as a Policy Ambassador for the Conservative Policy Forum in the Eastern Region of England
