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…I Have Conducted 70 Mass Burials — Rev. Dachomo
Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, has rejected claims that tens of thousands of Christians have been killed in Nigeria, insisting that official government records show 177 Christian deaths and 102 church attacks in the last five years.
Tuggar made the disclosure during a televised appearance on Tuesday with British broadcaster Piers Morgan, alongside former Canadian lawmaker Goldie Ghamari, amid growing global criticism alleging a campaign of religious genocide in Nigeria.
Addressing the concerns, Tuggar expressed respect for international partners but said misleading statistics were driving false narratives.
“We have great respect for the U.S. President, Donald Trump. It’s unfortunate he has been misinformed… unfortunately it has resulted in this statement. We urge that the engagement that is ongoing continues, so we will provide more information and clarity. We are not a ground for a Jihad or Crusade. Nigerians have lived in relative peace for a long period of time,” he said.
Tuggar said Nigeria remains a diverse democracy where different religions coexist peacefully.
“It is important to note the diversity of the Nigerian state, it is a multi-diverse state in so many ways and an ally to the U.S., because we have worked successfully together in the past. We appreciate what President Trump did in the past.”
Responding to Morgan’s question about reports alleging 50,000 Christian deaths and 18,000 destroyed churches, Tuggar dismissed the claims.
“Those figures are completely inaccurate and totally false. Many in the media have examined and fact-checked them and they have been shown to be totally inaccurate,”Tuggar said.
The minister acknowledged that Nigeria is dealing with severe security challenges driven by Boko Haram, which he said is a regional threat affecting Chad, Niger and Cameroon.
He noted that the Multinational Joint Task Force has enabled significant operations against terrorists.
“50,000 insurgents and people caught in insurgency have surrendered. Some have been rehabilitated while others are being processed through the legal system.”
Responding to claims of targeted Christian genocide, Tuggar insisted that terrorism affects all citizens.
“We in Nigeria have Christians, Muslims, Atheists, etc. We don’t identify them by their religion, we see them as Nigerians.”
He accused certain faith-based organisations of spreading exaggerated figures to provoke conflict.
“The numbers are peddled by faith-based groups who come to agitate and instigate, like what happened in Sudan leading to the breakup of the country. We have seen it before, we don’t want to be the next Sudan.”
When asked for specific figures on church attacks, Tuggar responded:
“Over the last five years, attacks on churches have been 102. We are not hiding any figures.”
But Ghamari countered Tuggar’s position, insisting that a religious war is ongoing.
“What is happening in Nigeria is Jihad. It is the exact same thing that happened in Israel on October 7, 2023, where the Islamists murdered thousands shouting Allahu Akbar. It’s the exact same thing that happened in Lebanon.”
She alleged complicity by the Nigerian government, arguing that top leadership being Muslim signals bias.
“The constitution recognises faith in choosing the president and vice, and both President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his Vice, Kashim Shettima, are Muslims,” she said.
Ghamari further alleged collaboration between the Nigerian government and Iran, and claimed videos exist showing Fulani militants allowed to pass military checkpoints after stand-down orders.
The minister dismissed her claims as inflammatory speculation designed to provoke war.
“She doesn’t know the country she is talking about. Look up Sections 10, 38 and 42. There is Federal Character in our constitution. We don’t identify ourselves as Muslims and Christians in Nigeria, we identify ourselves from regions.”
Pressed again on Christian death figures since 2009, he reiterated: “I can categorically tell you that since the last five years, 177 Christians have been murdered. 102 churches have been attacked, 98 injured, 7 abducted. We don’t go about identifying people’s religion when they are attacked.”
Tuggar maintained that Muslims are the primary targets of extremist violence.
“The number one targets are not Christians, they are Muslims who do not subscribe to their own brand of Islam.”
He accused Ghamari and similar activists of pursuing destructive agendas.
“This lady and people like her trade in starting wars. She would not know the difference between a Fulani, a Tiv man or an Igbo man, because she is probably making money from it. They want to break up Nigeria like they broke up Sudan. This is Africa’s largest democracy.”
Also joining the conversation, Plateau-based clergyman Rev. Ezekiel Dachomo claimed that mass killings of Christians have gone unacknowledged by the authorities.
“I have performed several genocide burials, more than 70 times. Some of the graves are 501 people killed in just one night.”
He accused the government of ignoring massacres because he believes Muslim forces dominate institutions.
Dachomo alleged that Boko Haram was created by political actors to remove former President Goodluck Jonathan, a Christian.
“Many high-ranking government officials created Boko Haram to remove Goodluck Jonathan, who is a Christian. They caused riots in every village and people ran away. 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.
