Shehu Sani Refutes Genocide Claim, Says Terrorists Kill Christians and Muslims in Nigeria

By: Chioma Madonna Ndukwu

Shehu Sani Refutes Genocide Claim, Says Terrorists Kill Christians and Muslims in Nigeria

Former Kaduna Central Senator, Shehu Sani, has dismissed allegations that Christians in Nigeria are victims of a targeted genocide, stressing that terrorists and bandits attack people of all faiths across the country.

Sani’s remarks came in response to US broadcaster Bill Maher, who recently claimed that Muslims were carrying out widespread killings of Christians in Nigeria.

In a post on his X account on Monday, the former lawmaker described the statement as false and misleading, insisting that violence in Nigeria does not follow religious lines.

According to him, churches are burned and pastors killed in the same way that mosques are attacked and imams murdered.

He added that the victims of kidnappings, rape, and other violent crimes span across different religions and ethnic groups, with evidence showing that many casualties are Muslims, particularly in the northern states where armed groups are most active.

“Bandits and terrorists in Nigeria don’t discriminate between Muslims and Christians in their evil and murderous acts,” Sani wrote. “They attack churches and kill priests, pastors, and Christian worshippers; they attack mosques and kill imams and Muslim worshippers. Their victims cut across all faiths and communities.”

He warned that framing Nigeria’s security crisis as a war waged only against Christians risks fueling further division in a country already struggling with religious and ethnic fault lines.

Instead, he urged that terrorism and banditry be confronted as a national challenge that threatens all Nigerians, regardless of faith.

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Chioma Ndukwu

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