Baptist Ministers, Islamic Council Disagree On Alleged Persecution Of Christians

The 65th annual ministers’ conference of the Baptist Theological Seminary, Kaduna has insisted that Christians in Nigeria face persecution in various forms, and has appealed to the United States government not to place the country on its Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) list.

They made the appeal in a communique issued at the end of the week-long conference held in Kaduna with the theme: ‘The Authority of Scripture and the Mission of the Church in Troubled Times’.
The communique signed by Rev. John Joseph Hayab, chairman of the Seminary’s Board of Governors and Rev. Dr. Mannaseh Panpe, the acting president of the Seminary, acknowledged that Christians across the country had suffered killings, harassment and discrimination because of their faith.

“While we acknowledge that Christians in Nigeria face persecution, not only through killings but also through various forms of discrimination based on faith, we appeal to foreign governments and international bodies not to place Nigeria on the CPC list, as such a designation would not resolve the underlying issues of insecurity and religious tension.

“Labeling Nigeria as a CPC could inadvertently escalate violence, as such action may limit access to military assistance and legitimate security equipment, thereby weakening the nation’s ability to combat terrorism, banditry, and other violent crimes,” the ministers said.

But the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) has cautioned the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) against what it described as false and misleading claims that Christians were being deliberately targeted and killed across the country.

In a statement signed by its deputy national legal adviser, Imam Haroun Muhammad Eze, the NSCIA said the allegations making rounds on international platforms and social media were “baseless” and aimed at creating division and tarnishing Nigeria’s image globally.

The council noted that while it appreciated the efforts of government agencies that had countered the reports, it faulted the government for failing to “call a spade a spade” by identifying and condemning those within the country responsible for promoting the narrative.

According to the NSCIA, the allegations of a genocidal campaign against Christians are part of a wider effort to plunge Nigeria into a religious war. It added that the U.S. State Department’s 2023 report on international religious freedom showed that terrorists and bandits attack both churches and mosques indiscriminately.

The council expressed disappointment that the federal government had not called out individuals like Bishop Wilfred Anagbe of the Catholic Diocese of Makurdi and Rev. Joseph Hayab of the Northern CAN who it said recently made “false and divisive” statements to foreign bodies.

The statement also accused CAN of playing a “script” aimed at gaining international sympathy and funding through Islamophobic propaganda.