Former presidential aide, Bashir Ahmad, has commended a senior adviser to United States President Donald Trump, Massad Boulos, for refuting claims that Christians are being specifically targeted in Nigeria.
Boulos, who served as Trump’s Senior Adviser on Arab and African Affairs, had stated that terrorist groups such as Boko Haram and ISIS have killed more Muslims than Christians in Nigeria.
He made the remark in a video shared by the Nigerian Television Authority on Friday while responding to questions about comments from some US politicians alleging that Christians were being persecuted in Nigeria.
Boulos described such claims as “unfortunate and misleading,” insisting that terrorism in Nigeria is not religiously motivated but stems from broader insecurity affecting citizens of all faiths.
“Any incident, any loss of life, is absolutely unfortunate. Those who know the terrain well know that terrorism has no colour, no religion and no tribe.
People of all religions and all tribes are dying as a result of terrorist acts. We even know that Boko Haram and ISIS are killing more Muslims than Christians,” he said.
The US diplomat also acknowledged that clashes between farmers and herders had occurred in the Middle Belt but maintained that they were not driven by religion.
Boulos also commended President Bola Tinubu’s administration for intensifying efforts to improve security across volatile regions, noting that recent measures were beginning to yield results.
He also praised Nigeria’s long-standing tradition of religious coexistence, describing the country’s diversity as a source of unity rather than division.
“Nigeria is a country in which all sorts of religious, ethnic and tribal groups have lived together in harmony for centuries. The population is split 50-50 between Christians and Muslims, so this has never been a serious religious issue and should not be,” Boulos added.
Reacting to Boulos’ comments in a post via his X handle on Friday, Ahmad said the U.S. official’s comments should lead to stronger and coordinated action by Nigerian troops against those terrorists and other criminal elements.
He wrote, “Good to see senior US officials publicly pushing back against that dangerous Christian genocide narrative.
“I hope this clearer framing leads to stronger and coordinated action by our troops against those terrorists and other criminal elements.”
