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Lawyer calls Trump’s claims about Christian genocide in Nigeria inaccurate

Femi Falana pointed out that in states such as Benue and Plateau, the conflict was rooted in land and grazing disputes, and urged the government to review the shortcomings in its fight against crime instead of losing sleep over Donald Trump’s statements

HARARE, November 6. /TASS/. US President Donald Trump is misleading the world by spreading false claims about an alleged "Christian genocide" taking place in Nigeria, said Femi Falana, a well-known Nigerian human rights lawyer and a member of the International Bar Association.

"My position is that Mr. Trump has lied to the whole world by alleging Christian genocide in Nigeria without any evidence to back it up," the lawyer told Channels TV as he went on to explain the nature of the killings in Nigeria. "He said about 3,100 Christians have been killed in Nigeria. When you look at the narrative of Mr Trump, and match it with what is on ground, the killers – be it terrorists, bandits, kidnappers, armed robbers and so on and so forth, or people we simply call gunmen – do not care about your religion and many of them care about the ransom that you’re going to pay. So, it’s not about religion." Falana pointed out that in states such as Benue and Plateau, the conflict was rooted in land and grazing disputes, and urged the government to review the shortcomings in its fight against crime instead of losing sleep over Trump’s statements.

Falana says that he has a good sense of where the US president’s head is at. "I know him, I know his antics. I know his hatred for Africa. This matter is about the resources of our country. The same guys who are promoting this debate are also saying let’s cut China to size in Africa," the lawyer said.

On November 1, President Trump announced that he had instructed the Pentagon to prepare possible military measures against "Islamic terrorists" in Nigeria to protect Christians. Earlier he claimed that Christians in Nigeria were subjected to an existential threat and promised to protect them. That same day, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu denied Trump’s accusations saying that the portrayal of Nigeria as a country of religious intolerance does not reflect reality and ignores the measures taken by the authorities to protect freedom of religion and conscience for all Nigerians. According to him, Abuja maintains an open and active dialogue with Christian and Islamic leaders and continues to address security challenges that threaten citizens regardless of their religious background.