PFN Breaks Silence On Alleged Christian Genocide In Nigeria

The Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, PFN, has insisted that there is ongoing Christian genocide in the country, describing that denial as a desecration, according to Vanguard.

The PFN President, Bishop Francis Oke, said this in Ibadan, adding that the scale and persistence of attacks on Christians in several parts of Northern Nigeria could “no longer be debated”.

However, the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, NSCIA, rejected the ‘Christian genocide’ claims.

According to the Council, the situation on ground was a security challenge and not a religious war, describing the claims as false, politically driven, and a threat to national unity.

We’re not accusing Muslims – PFN
Speaking to journalists in Ibadan, Oyo State, the PFN President, Bishop Oke asked: “Where is Leah Sharibu? What happened to the Chibok girls? Chibok is a predominantly Christian community in Borno State.

“What is going on in Benue State?

“Since Donald Trump cried foul against Nigeria on the matter of genocide, many more people are being killed in Plateau State.”

The Bishop noted that the United States President Donald Trump’s concerns reflect a reality that many Nigerians are witnessing.

“We are not accusing the Muslim community, get me clear. We have been living together for ages in mutual respect and harmony.

“It is the violent sect of Islam that is called Boko Haram and ISWAP and co., that use the name of Islam to attack churches. Hundreds of churches had been burnt down; tens of thousands of Christians had been massacred. Hundreds of pastors had been butchered.

“It would be a desecration to the blood of these Nigerians to call it any other name. There is not a single instance of a Christian group attacking the Muslims. It is always the other way round.

“What about the kidnapping of our girls, and they would marry them off without the consent of their parents, which is going on rampantly in the North?

“Now, when Donald Trump said there is genocide against the church and Christians in Nigeria, some people are complaining. There is nothing to complain about.

“We should properly identify the malaise so we can deal with it effectively. You don’t call cancer a headache. This is something that is consuming our country, and it is giving us a bad name all over the world, and the patience of the church is being stretched.”

The attacks
The Bishop recounted that numerous unresolved attacks — ranging from the killings in Benue and Plateau, violence in Southern Kaduna, and the Owo church massacre — point to a consistent pattern of violence directed at Christian communities.

Oke said: “To every honest Nigerian, there is no controversy about whether there is genocide against the church and Christians in Nigeria.

“Hundreds of churches have been burnt, tens of thousands of Christians massacred, and hundreds of pastors butchered.

“What about Taraba? What about Southern Kaduna? Thanks God for the new governor. These are predominantly Christian sections of Nigeria.

“What about the Owo massacre? Who are the killers? In those cases, there was not a single case of the Christians rising up to kill the Muslims – no.

“There is no controversy about whether there is genocide against the church and Christians in Nigeria.”

Islamic Council attacks Trump
Meanwhile, addressing journalists in Abuja, the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, NSCIA, rejected allegations by the United States and some Western organisations that Christians are being subjected to genocide in Nigeria.

The Council’s Secretary-General, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, said the council’s stance followed an expanded meeting of its General Purpose Committee, which reviewed recent security and diplomatic developments affecting the country.

He explained that the NSCIA, which represents all Islamic organisations in Nigeria, had resolved to condemn recent threats to the nation’s stability and reject any attempt by foreign powers to portray the country’s complex security challenges as a religious conflict.

“We have not been emphasising the killings of Muslims. Not because we are not aware that Muslims are being killed, but because we do not see what is happening as a religious war.

“This is a national security issue, not a religious one,” Prof. Oloyede stated.

“It is unfortunate that U.S. President Donald Trump and some of his associates have been misled to label our country as a place of religious genocide.

“Such language is dangerous, unfair, and undermines the efforts of a sovereign nation fighting terrorism.

“This is not a holy war. It is a crisis of survival, a desperate migration of people driven by environmental collapse, poverty, and criminal opportunism,” Oloyede said.

The NSCIA further accused foreign-backed lobbyists and separatist sympathisers abroad of exploiting Nigeria’s insecurity for political and financial gain.

“These lobbyists flood Washington with doctored videos and fake statistics.

“They quote fabricated figures of Christian deaths and spread religious persecution claims to secure asylum, funding, and attention. This is a betrayal of our nation,” Oloyede alleged.