The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs has called on the Federal Government to adopt a more decisive approach in dispelling what it described as misleading claims of religious persecution in Nigeria.
In a statement issued on Friday and signed by its Deputy National Legal Adviser, Imam Haroun Muhammad Eze, the council expressed concern over “false allegations circulating on some international platforms and social media” suggesting that there is a systematic campaign against Christians in the country.
According to Eze, the Council “noted with appreciation the responses by government agencies, the National Assembly, and well-meaning Nigerians across religious divides who have refuted these allegations.”
However, he added that “the Council wonders why the government could not, at least for once, go the whole hog by calling a spade a spade and speaking the whole truth.”
The NSCIA stressed that insecurity in Nigeria affects citizens irrespective of faith, noting that it should not be framed as targeted against a particular religious group.
“The Council wishes to remind both local and international observers that terrorists and armed groups attack mosques and churches indiscriminately. In the first half of 2025 alone, over 2,200 civilians were killed in Northern Nigeria, where Muslims are predominant, leaving more than two million displaced,” the statement read in part.
Citing findings from the US State Department’s 2023 Report on International Religious Freedom and the 2025 US Commission on International Religious Freedom Annual Report, the council said the data clearly show that both Muslims and Christians have suffered casualties in Nigeria’s ongoing security crisis.
“The reports acknowledge that the violence has no specific religious pattern,” Eze added.
He noted that the NSCIA’s decision to remain calm in the face of provocations and misinformation was guided by its commitment to preserving national unity.
“Council wishes to place on record that its decision to be quiet in the face of attacks, innuendos, and insults against Muslims is a deliberate choice aimed at protecting the corporate existence of this nation,” he said.
The statement also referenced the position of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), which acknowledged that insecurity in the country affects everyone. Quoting CAN’s Director of National Issues and Social Welfare, Eze said, “If they open fire in a marketplace, the bullets don’t look for a Christian or spare a Muslim or even spare a baby.”
The NSCIA further expressed worry over a recent circular by the National Insurance Commission, which it claimed “restricts co-insurance between conventional insurers and Takaful operators,” describing it as discriminatory and a violation of the Nigerian Insurance Industry Reform Act (NIIRA 2025).
“This circular of exclusivity is capable of creating unnecessary divisions between Muslims and non-Muslims in the country,” the statement warned.
Reaffirming its belief in national cohesion, the council said, “The NSCIA strongly believes in one indivisible Nigeria and will continue to uphold this ideal even in the face of the greatest provocation.”
The council urged the Federal Government to strengthen its public communication strategy to counter misinformation that could inflame religious tension.
It said, “Misinformation capable of fuelling religious animosity should be addressed swiftly with factual and evidence-based responses.”
The NSCIA’s statement comes amid renewed international focus on religious freedom in Nigeria. Western advocacy groups and some US legislators have accused the Nigerian government of failing to protect Christians, a claim Nigerian authorities have consistently denied.
In September, US Senator Ted Cruz introduced the Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act of 2025, a bill seeking to compel the US Secretary of State to designate Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” and impose sanctions on certain officials.
Reacting to the development, Senate President Godswill Akpabio on Thursday cautioned against framing Nigeria’s security challenges along religious lines.
“Terrorists and bandits do not discriminate by faith when they attack. Both Muslims and Christians have been victims in states like Borno, Kaduna, and Benue,” Akpabio said during plenary.
He added that the nation’s security problems should be addressed as national issues rather than religious conflicts, warning that allowing foreign narratives to define the discourse “could distort reality and deepen sectarian tension.”
