Alleged Christian Genocide: Tuggar, Dachomo Differ as Nicki Minaj Addresses UN Panel

•Minister says Trump misinformed

•Plateau cleric insists Christians targeted

Chiemelie Ezeobi 

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, has reiterated that there’s no Christian genocide in Nigeria, maintaining that the data being thrown around by certain interests, especially in the West, was grossly inaccurate.

Speaking during the airing of ‘Piers Morgan Uncensored’, Tuggar stated that Nigeria does not want to become ‘another Sudan’, stressing that the renewed ‘love’ for Nigerian by some Western elements was suspicious.

Also yesterday, U.S. rapper, Nicki Minaj, declared that “no group should ever be persecuted for practicing their religion”. She spoke during a panel discussion at the United Nations headquarters in New York City.

Minaj delivered her remarks at an event hosted by the U.S. Mission to the United Nations on “Combating Religious Violence and the Killing of Christians in Nigeria”.

The programme, held at 799 United Nations Plaza, New York, NY 10017, featured her as part of a panel discussion following an invitation by Mike Waltz, the U.S. ambassador to the UN, “for an in-depth discussion about what our administration is doing to protect Christians’ freedoms all over the world”.

However, Tuggar stated that Nigeria remains a multi-ethnic and multi-religious country, maintaining that the constitution guarantees the freedom to practice any faith of their choice and pointing out that it is unfortunate that President Donald Trump has been ‘misinformed’.

Contrary to the figures thrown around alleging that over 100,000 Christians had been killed and over 18,000 churches attacked, Tuggar stated that nothing could be further from the truth. He insisted that in the last few years, 102 churches had been attacked by the terrorists, while the number killed was far less than the figure in the public space.

However, he maintained that death tolls are usually not counted on the basis of the religion victims belong, alleging that those who were pushing the Christian genocide agenda were taking lessons from a familiar playbook, like the one they used in Sudan.

In the same vein, vocal Christian cleric, Ezekiel Dachomo, who also appeared on the same platform, disputed Tuggar’s position, stating that persons of Christian faith were being specifically targeted for annihilation.

The prominent Plateau State-based preacher, told Piers Morgan, the popular British journalist, that he has conducted mass burials over 70 times, following what he described as the ‘massacre’ of Nigerian Christians by Islamic extremists.

Accusing the Nigerian government of paying no attention to the killings of Christians in the country, he said: “I have performed several genocide burials, more than 70 times. Some of the graves have 501 people killed in just one night. The Nigerian government downplayed that one because the Islamic are controlling the government.”

The cleric alleged that the Boko Haram terrorist group was established by some government officials to remove former President Goodluck Jonathan, claiming that the move was intended to drive Christians from power and install a Muslim.

“The background of the initial fact-finding is that many high-ranking government officials created Boko Haram to remove Goodluck Jonathan, who is a Christian. They caused riots in every village, and the people ran away; they were relocated. Their target is to kill the Christians because Goodluck is a Christian. That’s why Goodluck said ‘my blood is not worth it’,” he said.

But warning that the targeting and killing of Christians in Nigeria required urgent global attention, Niki Minaj said: “Christians in the country are being targeted, driven from their homes, and killed. Entire communities live in fear constantly simply because of how they pray”.

Minaj added that her intervention was driven by a commitment to justice and humanity rather than partisanship. “We don’t have to share the same beliefs in order for us to respect each other. That shouldn’t make one person feel less safe than anyone in any room,” she said.

She noted that the violence facing Christian communities must not be ignored. “Churches have been burned, families have been torn apart, and entire communities live in fear constantly simply because of how they pray,” she said.

She thanked U.S. President Donald Trump for “prioritising this issue” and pushing for international action to “defend Christians in Nigeria, to combat extremism, and to bring a stop to violence against those who simply want to exercise their natural right to freedom of religion or belief”.

The artiste said she had seen through her travels how deeply religion shapes cultures worldwide, warning that faith is now “under attack in way too many places” including Nigeria.

She stressed that protecting Nigerians and other vulnerable communities “is not about taking sides or dividing people. It is about uniting humanity”.
Minaj added that every community should be concerned when any place of worship is attacked. “When one’s church, mosque, or place of worship is destroyed, everyone’s heart should break just a little bit,” she said.

She expressed hope that the New York dialogue would strengthen international resolve and “encourage deepened solidarity for us to urgently work together to ensure every person can enjoy the right to believe, to worship, and to live in peace”.