Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State has dismissed allegations of religious genocide in Nigeria as false and damaging, stressing that the country’s internal security challenges are being misrepresented to the international community.
Speaking during an interview on Arise Television on Monday, Governor Sule stated that recent claims of genocide circulating in the United States were based on wrong information shared with foreign legislators.
According to him, Nigeria’s conflicts are often wrongly framed along religious lines, whereas the root causes are misinformation and misrepresentation.
“While I was living in the US, in Houston to be specific, we often interacted with American congress members like Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee. They would ask, ‘What are the problems in your country? How can I help?’
Most likely, that’s what happened in this case — a congressman got information from Nigerians living there.
Unfortunately, they got the wrong information and are working with it,” Sule explained.
He commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s diplomatic approach to the issue, saying ongoing engagements with international partners would help clarify misconceptions.
“I’m happy to see that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has committed to meeting with President Trump, and I’m sure we can resolve this diplomatically,” the governor added.
Governor Sule emphasized that Nigeria remains a multi-religious and united nation, and that allegations of religiously motivated killings are politically driven.
“There is definitely nothing like religious genocide in Nigeria. These claims often come from politicians or frustrated individuals who don’t understand the consequences of their statements.
When you go to the root of most conflicts, you find they are not as presented. Everybody knows there is no genocide of any religion anywhere in Nigeria,” he stated.
The governor urged Nigerians, both at home and abroad, to avoid spreading false narratives that could harm the country’s image and undermine its diplomatic relations.
