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| Reno Omokri. |
Political analyst and writer, Reno Omokri, has dismissed allegations made by United States Senator Ted Cruz that the Nigerian government is backing terrorism and enabling a “Christian genocide”.
Speaking during an interview on ARISE News on Monday, Omokri described the claim as “ludicrous and based on misinformation”, stressing that the assertions by Cruz and some other American lawmakers stemmed from inaccurate narratives about Nigeria’s security issues.
He explained that he had invited a two-man fact-finding team from the United States to Nigeria to correct the misleading impressions being spread in Washington.
“When Senator Ted Cruz began this tale about a Christian genocide, and Governor Greg Abbott followed along with Congressman Chip Roy, I felt it was my patriotic duty to reach out to Republican officials who genuinely want to know the truth,” Omokri said.
He disclosed that the delegation—comprising Mike Arnold, Republican Mayor of Blanco, Texas, and filmmaker Jeff Gibbs—had already met with officials of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI), and had also visited internally displaced persons (IDP) camps across the country.
“Before coming, they briefed Senator Cruz and Congressman Roy. They’ve now seen things for themselves and spoken with both Christian and Muslim leaders,” Omokri said.
He emphasised that although attacks against Christians have taken place in Nigeria, they do not amount to genocide, as both Christians and Muslims have suffered from terrorist violence.
“Yes, there are killings of Christians in Nigeria, and anyone who denies that would be dishonest. But there are also killings of Muslims,” Omokri noted.
“When terrorists attack Benue, most of the victims are Christians because Benue is Christian-dominated; when they hit Zamfara, most victims are Muslims. So there is no Christian genocide.”
Omokri linked the origin of the nation’s insecurity to the 2011 NATO intervention in Libya, which he said destabilised the Sahel region.
“This crisis began when the Obama administration intervened in Libya. After Gaddafi fell, his mercenaries spread across the Sahel with weapons and training. They destabilised the region from Burkina Faso to Mali and Niger. Now they are trying to do the same in Nigeria,” he explained.
The former presidential aide further accused the United States of having a moral responsibility for the crisis, stating, “There is a moral responsibility on the United States because this problem was brought to Nigeria’s doorstep by the Obama administration.”
Omokri noted that the current U.S. fact-finding delegation’s mission was aimed at preventing Nigeria from being wrongly labelled a “country of particular concern,” warning that such a designation could worsen the nation’s insecurity.
“If Nigeria is designated as a country of particular concern, it will only embolden terrorists and punish ordinary Nigerians — both Christians and Muslims,” he cautioned.
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