The Federal Government’s rebuttal of reports of genocide against Christians in the country received a boost on Monday as former British diplomat, Mr. David Roberts, dismissed the report as false.

Roberts, who served as a director of the British Council in Abuja for several years, stated that the country’s security challenges had been exaggerated by Western interest groups and the media, warning against escalating the situation with inaccurate reports.

“Yes, there are security challenges in Nigeria but those issues have affected the country from the pre-colonial, colonial, and now the post-colonial periods,” he stated, adding:, “Ample evidence exists to show that the Nigerian government is de-escalating the violence.”

Based on a viral video in which a man with a Nigerian accent claimed that over 500,000 Christians were killed in the country last year, Mr. Bill Maher, a comedian who hosts the longest-running talk show in the US, Real Time with Bill Maher, asserted that a systematic genocide was happening in Nigeria.

The video was circulated by international X influencers, including Radio Genoa, an anti-Islamic personality, who stokes negative sentiments against the Muslim faith.

However, minister of Information and National Orientation, Mr. Mohammed Idris, and a former presidential aide, Mr. Reno Omokri, on Sunday refuted the claims as false.

Roberts upheld Idris’ and Omokri’s rebuttals and contended that the genocide reports were skewed, explaining that both the Christian and Muslim faiths are victims of the age-long violence.

He stated: “I lived in Nigeria as a British diplomat and toured the entire country. It is ridiculous for anyone even to suggest that half a million people were killed as part of genocide against Christians in Nigeria by Muslims last year alone.

“And this is not just some Christian genocide. In fact, more Muslims are killed in these attacks in Nigeria than Christians, a fact highlighted by the Institute for Economics and Peace in their annual Global Terrorism Index,” he said.

He urged Western nations and their media to be mindful of the reportage in order not to ignite a crisis that will result in a greater flood of refugees from West Africa turning up in Europe through the Mediterranean. (Nigerian Tribune)