Nigeria: Alleged Christian genocide: PFN president says calling it anything else dishonours victims
By Zuleihat Owuiye, Mamos Nigeria
Bishop Francis Wale Oke, president of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), told journalists in Ibadan on Friday that the wave of attacks on Christian communities in northern Nigeria can no longer be described as anything but genocide. “Where is Leah Sharibu? What happened to the Chibok girls? What is going on in Benue, Plateau, Southern Kaduna, Owo and other places?” he asked, linking the recent killings to a pattern that “has been consistent”.
Oke rejected the notion that the violence is a simple clash of communities, stressing that Christians and Muslims have lived together peacefully for generations. He blamed radical extremist groups—Boko Haram, ISWAP and “violent sects of Islam”—for burning churches, massacring tens of thousands of Christians and butchering hundreds of pastors. “There is not a single instance of a Christian group attacking Muslims,” he said, adding that the kidnapping of girls and forced marriages in the north are part of the same “cancer” consuming the nation.
The bishop called on President Bola Tinubu to work with former U.S. President Donald Trump, who has publicly condemned the alleged genocide, and to “move decisively to eliminate radical groups like Boko Haram and ISWAP so Nigerians can live in peace.”
He also urged the government to give equal attention to all killings, not just those in Edo State, and to implement state policing to curb extrajudicial violence.
In a separate development, Tinubu praised Oke after his re‑election as PFN president, describing him as a “respected religious leader” who promotes religious harmony and national renaissance ². Oke has also been encouraging Christians to become more politically active, urging them to run for office and vote from the grassroots.
The PFN’s stance underscores a growing demand among Nigerian Christian leaders for the government to acknowledge and act on what they view as a systematic campaign against Christians, and to address the broader insecurity that has left many communities fearful and displaced.
