Former British diplomat Mr David Roberts has joined forces with the Federal Government to dismiss the reports of genocide against Christians in the country as false.
Roberts, who served for many years as a director of the British Council in Abuja, stated that the country’s security challenges had been exaggerated by Western interest groups and the media.
He warned against escalating the situation with such inaccurate reports.
In a statement, Roberts said: “Yes, there are security challenges in Nigeria, but those issues have affected the country from the pre-colonial, colonial, and now the post-colonial periods,” he stated, adding, “Ample evidence exists to show that the Nigerian government is de-escalating the violence.”
Based on a viral video in which a man with a Nigerian accent claimed that over 500,000 Christians were killed in the country last year, Mr Bill Maher, a comedian who hosts the longest-running talk show in the US, Real Time with Bill Maher, asserted that a systematic genocide was happening in Nigeria.
The offensive video was circulated by international X influencers, including Radio Genoa, an anti-Islamic personality, who stoked negative sentiments against the Muslim faith.
However, Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mr Mohammed Idris, and a former presidential aide, Mr Reno Omokri, on Sunday refuted the claims as false.
Roberts upheld Idris’ and Omokri’s rebuttals and contended that the genocide reports were skewed. He explained that both the Christian and Muslim faiths are victims of the age-long violence.
He stated: “I lived in Nigeria as a British diplomat and toured the entire country. It is ridiculous for anyone even to suggest that half a million people were killed as part of a genocide against Christians in Nigeria by Muslims last year alone. “
