A United States lawmaker, Riley Moore, has faulted President Bola Tinubu’s claims that Nigeria does not encourage religious persecution, insisting that the reality on the ground contradicts the President’s public statements.

In a post on X on Sunday, shared by Moore, he cited Tinubu’s earlier assertion that his administration opposes religious persecution, responding, “@officialABAT claims his government opposes religious persecution. But 12 states have Sharia law, and a Christian faces the death penalty for defending his farm from a Muslim Fulani militant who stabbed him repeatedly.”

Moore also shared a video of a Fox News Sunday interview with anchor Shannon Bream, who read out Tinubu’s November statement on religious freedom in Nigeria.

Tinubu’s November post, as read by Bream, stated, “Nigeria stands firmly as a democracy governed by constitutional guarantees of religious liberty. Since 2023, our administration has maintained an open and active engagement with Christian and Muslim leaders alike and continues to address security challenges which affect citizens across faiths and regions.

“The characterisation of Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our national reality, nor does it take into consideration the consistent and sincere efforts of the government to safeguard freedom of religion and beliefs for all Nigerians.

“Religious freedom and tolerance have been a core tenet of our collective identity and shall always remain so. Nigeria opposes religious persecution and does not encourage it.

“Nigeria is a country with constitutional guarantees to protect citizens of all faiths. Our administration is committed to working with the United States government and the international community to deepen understanding and cooperation on protection of communities of all faiths.”

Reacting to the statement during the interview, Bream noted, “(Tinubu) says the picture we’re (US) getting here is not accurate.”

Responding, Moore alleged, “You know, unfortunately, that is completely false. I mean, there are states in Nigeria that have blasphemy laws. People who are facing the death penalty right now for blasphemy against Islam.

“There’s a person right now who’s held in prison for defending himself from an attack from a Muslim militant from the Fulani tribe. He defended himself, and he’s facing the death penalty.

Reacting to the statement during the interview, Bream noted, “(Tinubu) says the picture we’re (US) getting here is not accurate.”

“So no, there is serious persecution happening in Nigeria. I know the president, Tinibu, is in a difficult position in trying to protect his interests there in that country, but they are complicit in this to one degree or another with statements like this.”

Moore’s remarks come after US President Donald Trump, on October 31, designated Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern” over alleged Christian genocide, warning that the Nigerian government must stop the killings or the United States would deploy troops “to wipe out the jihadists.”

The Federal Government has repeatedly denied claims of a systematic “Christian genocide”, describing such allegations as false, misleading, and a distortion of Nigeria’s security challenges.

In a separate November 5 statement, Moore had backed Trump’s position, writing, “President Trump is absolutely right to defend our brothers and sisters in Christ who are suffering horrific persecution, and even martyrdom, for their faith in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.”

His comments add to the intensifying diplomatic tension following renewed debate in US political circles on religious persecution in Nigeria.

Meanwhile, Christian and Muslim groups in Nigeria remain divided over the genocide claim.

On November 13, the President of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, Bishop Wale Oke, maintained that Christians were facing genocide, saying, “The evidence is all over the place. There is nothing anybody can say that can whitewash it. It is evil, it is bloodshedding, it is mass murder, and it is genocide. The time to stop it is now.”

However, the Muslim Ummah of South West Nigeria, in a statement on Thursday, dismissed Trump’s claim, saying, “There is no religious war in Nigeria, and America should not now introduce one by giving a religious interpretation to what is essentially either an ethnic crisis, an occupational dispute, or an economic rivalry.”

Also on Thursday, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, and British broadcaster Piers Morgan clashed on social media over the airing of Tuggar’s recent interview on Piers Morgan Uncensored.

Tuggar insisted that the full and unedited interview must be broadcast, warning that selective editing could distort Nigeria’s image and “amplify misleading narratives and allegations of religious persecution.” (The PUNCH)