The Senate on Thursday declared that the alarming security situation in the country has no religious undertone but is primarily driven by socio-economic factors.
The Senate made the clarification while deliberating on a motion titled ‘Urgent Need to Correct Misconceptions Regarding the Purported ‘Christian Genocide’ Narrative in Nigeria and in the International Community.’
The motion, sponsored by former Senate Leader and Senator representing Borno South, Ali Ndume, had 20 other lawmakers as co-sponsors.
Senator Ndume, while presenting the motion, said it was imperative to correct the misinformation and misrepresentation in the international media, particularly the position taken by certain lawmakers in the U.S. Congress.
Checks revealed that the Presidency had last week criticised a United States Senator, Ted Cruz, over his claims that Nigerian officials were ignoring or facilitating the mass killing of Christians by Islamist jihadists.
Ndume, however, noted that both Christians and Muslims have been targets of attacks by bandits and terrorists across states like Plateau, Katsina, Zamfara, Borno, and Kaduna, citing incidents where both churches and mosques were attacked.
Citing provisions of the 1999 Constitution, the former Senate Leader maintained that it guarantees freedom of religion and equal protection for all citizens.
He further called for urgent and transparent communication, as well as interfaith solidarity, to counter extremist propaganda.
He warned that foreign narratives portraying Nigeria as a site of ‘Christian genocide’ distort the reality of the conflict and risk damaging the country’s image. After extensive debate, the Senate resolved to hold an executive session to further deliberate on the sensitive issue and stepped down the motion to the next legislative day.
In his submission, President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, aligned with the position of his colleagues that terrorists are blind to religion and regions in the country.
‘If terrorism occurs in a Christian-dominated area, Christians will be the victims; if it happens in a Muslim-dominated area, Muslims will be the victims.’
He expressed concern that the growing misinformation abroad could lead to damaging international sanctions, worsening poverty, and insecurity across the country. ‘We should have a small team to visit our colleagues in the U.S., because some people must have gone there to give a one-sided story.’
Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central) also spoke in the same vein.
‘It is our conviction that the insecurity challenge is not religion-driven. We will step down this motion, hold an executive session, and return to plenary to report progress.’