The President of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Bishop Francis Wale Oke, has again raised alarm over what he described as an ongoing “Christian genocide” in Nigeria, calling on President Bola Tinubu to work closely with U.S. President Donald Trump to confront the persistent killings and attacks on Christian communities.
Speaking to journalists on Friday in Ibadan, Oyo State, the cleric said the scale and frequency of violent assaults against Christians across several regions of the country leave no room for debate on the reality of the crisis.
His remarks follow renewed national and international scrutiny of Nigeria’s security situation, especially recurrent attacks in the northern and central parts of the country. He recalled that former U.S. President Donald Trump had previously designated Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern,” citing widespread violence against Christians.
Oke referenced several high-profile incidents—including the killing of Deborah Samuel, the abduction of Leah Sharibu, the kidnapping of the Chibok schoolgirls, and repeated attacks in Benue, Taraba, Southern Kaduna, Owo, Niger, and Plateau states—as evidence of mass murders targeting Christian populations. According to him, “hundreds of Christians and pastors have been massacred.”
“There is Christian genocide in Nigeria. There is no other name to call it. No Christian group is attacking Muslims. Patience of the church is being stretched,” he said.
He emphasized that the attacks are carried out by extremist groups such as Boko Haram, ISWAP, and other splinter factions, stressing that these groups invoke Islamic identity during assaults but do not represent the broader Muslim community.
The PFN President urged urgent government action, warning that continued inaction would worsen Nigeria’s already fragile security landscape.
