Former Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has rejected claims that Christians are being targeted for genocide in Nigeria, describing such assertions as false and misleading.

Mohammed made the remarks on Wednesday while speaking with students at Abbey College in Cambridge, United Kingdom, during an interactive session on governance and political participation in Nigeria.

Responding to questions on alleged religious persecution, he said the country’s security challenges are multifaceted and not rooted in any deliberate attempt to eliminate a particular religious group.

He maintained that narratives suggesting a targeted campaign against Christians are inaccurate, stressing that Nigeria’s problems stem from broader security and socio-economic issues.

Speaking on insurgency, Mohammed explained that Boko Haram initially emerged as a movement opposing Western education among Muslims, with early victims largely drawn from the Muslim population.

He noted that the group later expanded its attacks to include Christians, a shift he attributed to the desire to attract wider attention and international reaction.

The former minister also dismissed claims linking banditry to religion, stating that both perpetrators and victims are predominantly from the same ethnic and religious backgrounds, particularly among Hausa-Fulani communities.

According to him, available records indicate that Muslims account for a significant proportion of casualties from insurgent activities in the country.

Mohammed further emphasised that religious tolerance remains a defining feature of Nigerian society, arguing that most citizens are more concerned with economic conditions than religious differences.

Citing an example, he referenced Bola Tinubu, noting that the president is a Muslim married to a prominent Christian, which he said reflects the country’s interfaith coexistence.

He called for stronger public communication efforts to counter what he described as false narratives about religious persecution in Nigeria.