Abuja, Nigeria (Naija247news) — Tensions have deepened between the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and the Presidency over what CAN describes as a deliberate misrepresentation of its position on the ongoing wave of attacks and killings targeting Christian communities across northern Nigeria and the Middle Belt.
CAN, in a strongly worded statement issued by its President, Archbishop Daniel Okoh, accused the Presidency of twisting its remarks and attempting to downplay what it insists amounts to a “Christian genocide.”
The controversy stems from a press release attributed to Barrister Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Policy Communication, who reportedly claimed that CAN had dismissed U.S. Senator Ted Cruz’s recent reference to Nigeria’s situation as a “so-called Christian genocide.”
CAN has denied ever making such comments, describing the report as “completely false and grossly unfair.”
CAN: We Never Called It a ‘So-Called Christian Genocide’
According to CAN, the misunderstanding followed Bwala’s visit to the CAN Secretariat at the National Christian Centre, Abuja, on Monday, where discussions centered on Senator Cruz’s remarks during a U.S. congressional hearing on global religious persecution.
“CAN made it clear that its position on this issue has long been established and remains unchanged,” Archbishop Okoh said. “Across many parts of northern Nigeria and the Middle Belt, Christian communities have suffered repeated, organised, and brutal attacks which have left thousands dead, villages destroyed, and families displaced.”
He added that these acts were not isolated incidents but represented a pattern of sustained, targeted violence that had persisted for years without accountability or justice.
CAN expressed dismay at the Presidency’s subsequent statement titled “Presidency Debunks Western Christian Genocide Narrative in Dialogue with CAN Leadership.”
“That portrayal is completely false and grossly unfair. The meeting was recorded by CAN’s media team, and at no point did I use such words or express such a view,” Archbishop Okoh said. “Referring to the tragedy as a ‘so-called genocide’ trivialises the pain of countless Christians who have lost loved ones, homes, and places of worship in targeted attacks.”
Data Shows Consistent, Targeted Attacks – CAN
During the meeting, CAN’s Director of Planning, Research and Strategy, Bishop Mike Akpami, reportedly presented verified data from the online research portal http://www.orfa.africa detailing consistent and targeted attacks on Christians across Nigeria and other African countries.
CAN called on the Federal Government and security agencies to act with urgency, fairness, and transparency to halt the killings and bring perpetrators to justice.
“We also urge media professionals and government officials to speak with truth, empathy, and responsibility, as careless words can deepen wounds and undermine peace,” Okoh said.
He reaffirmed CAN’s commitment to peace and dialogue but warned that such commitment “does not mean silence in the face of injustice.”
Those present at the meeting included Rev. Stephen Panya Baba (Vice President), Apostle Samson Fatokun (General Secretary), Dean Rev. Emmanuel Nicodemus Ozumba (Director of Education, Women and Youth), and Dame Comfort Otera Chigbue, Esq. (Director of Legal and Public Affairs).
Efforts by Naija247news to obtain a response from Presidential Spokesman Bayo Onanuga and Minister of Information Mohammed Idris were unsuccessful as calls and messages were not returned at press time.
Kukah to International Community: Don’t Punish Nigeria, Support Reform
Meanwhile, the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Most Rev. Matthew Hassan Kukah, has urged the international community not to re-designate Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) under global religious freedom watchlists.
Speaking at the launch of the 2025 World Report on Religious Freedom by Aid to the Church in Need (ACIN) at the Augustinianum Hall in Vatican City, Bishop Kukah warned that such a move could undermine delicate efforts to promote peace and interfaith dialogue within Nigeria.
While acknowledging that Nigeria’s security crisis had enabled acts that “border on genocide” in some communities, Kukah cautioned that not all violence in Nigeria is religiously motivated.
“We are not dealing with people going around killing because I am a Christian,” he said. “I live and work in Sokoto, right in the womb of Islam, where collaboration between Christians and Muslims remains possible. Our lives should be defined by a better narrative.”
‘Buhari Era Was the Worst for Interfaith Relations’
Bishop Kukah, however, criticised the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, describing it as “the worst phase in interfaith relations.”
“Under Buhari, to gain power, it was more important to be a northern Muslim than to be a citizen of Nigeria,” Kukah stated, accusing the previous government of policies that alienated Christians and emboldened jihadist groups.
In contrast, he commended the Tinubu administration for what he described as “a more inclusive approach,” citing key Christian appointments such as the Chief of Defence Staff, the Director of DSS, and the INEC Chairman as confidence-building measures.
‘Nigeria Needs Support, Not Isolation’
Kukah cited the Global Terrorism Index 2025, which recorded a 37% decline in terrorist attacks last year, but warned that religious identity still played a decisive role in violence, especially in northern Nigeria.
He urged the government to enforce the secular provisions of the Constitution and to challenge the application of Sharia law in 12 northern states, which he argued had encouraged mob justice and discrimination.
“The President should go to court to have the adoption of Sharia law declared unconstitutional,” he said. “The secular state anticipated by the Constitution must be enforced.”
While acknowledging subtle forms of persecution such as denial of land for churches, exclusion from education and employment, Kukah insisted that the solution lies in reform and collaboration — not sanctions.
“Re-designating Nigeria as a country of concern will only heighten tensions and embolden perpetrators,” he said. “What Nigeria needs now is vigilance, cooperation, and pressure for reform – not isolation.”
He also criticised past U.S. policy decisions that restricted arms sales to Nigeria during the Goodluck Jonathan administration, arguing that they undermined the fight against Boko Haram.
Concluding, Bishop Kukah praised the Vatican’s renewed global outreach under Pope Leo XIV, saying Nigeria — with its 200 million believers — “can make a great contribution to world peace if we rid the country of extremism.”
Analysis: Between Faith, Facts, and Fragile Peace
The clash between CAN’s statement and the Presidency’s narrative underscores a long-standing tension between faith-based advocacy and state communication in Nigeria’s security discourse.
While CAN insists on naming the killings as genocide, Bishop Kukah’s nuanced appeal for restraint reveals the tightrope Nigerian Christian leaders must walk between truth-telling and diplomacy — both at home and abroad.
At stake is not only the safety of Christian communities but also Nigeria’s fragile interfaith coexistence and its global reputation as Africa’s largest democracy still wrestling with religious pluralism and statehood.
Reporting by Samuel Gbenga Salau in Lagos, Nigeria.
