Presidential spokesman, a Lawyer and Christian from Borno State, has refuted the claim of Christian genocide in Nigeria, describing it as “a hoax.”
Responding to journalist Mehdi Hasan during an Al Jazeera interview on Friday, 6 March 2026, presidential media aide Daniel Bwala vigorously dismissed the concerns over Christian genocide in Nigeria.
“The Narrative of Christian genocide was a hoax” Bwala stated adding that the genocide claim is Donald Trump’s “opinion.”
Speaking further, he argued that, “We believe that these are targeted killings of all Nigerians – evidence has shown.”
Presidential media aide Daniel Bwala. Credit: Al Jazeera
The media aide contended that, “We both disagree on whether the so-called genocide in Nigeria is against Christians. We believe that it is a targeted killing by insurgents, Boko Haram, bandits, and all of these criminal elements against the people of Nigeria – Christians, Muslims and those who do not identify with any religion.”
Clarifying the Nigerian government’s position on the American President’s view on the matter, the spokesman maintained that, “Donald Trump believes it is Christians, we now felt rather than arguing whether it is against Christians or not, there is one area we both agree on: That we have a joint interest in the fight against terrorism.”
When asked if Trump “is telling the Truth” about Christian genocide in Nigeria, Bwala replied, “It is a half-truth in the sense that yes, Christians are being affected, but the whole half-truth is that both Christians and Muslims are killed.”
Hasan provided a context that Trump claimed the government targeted ISIS terrorist scum, decimating their camp, but reports show that non-combatants were killed, with some bombs landing in empty fields, and the criminal elements still roaming about, as testified by residents.
“No, there were killings of terrorists. I can call local television that testified, Arise News did, channels Television did,” Bwala said.
The Journalist also questioned him about why “Nigeria has become one of the deadliest countries in the world,” with “Around 11,000 people – reportedly killed in the past year.”
The spokesman, who responded in seemingly contradictory terms, said, “I acknowledge that insecurity exists in Nigeria,” arguing that “no country in the world is free from insecurity.”
The journalist insisted that “the numbers show it has gotten worse under this administration,” but Bwala responded by saying, “It depends on how you interpret the numbers. Some people see the glass half empty, others see it half full.”
As regards Amnesty International’s claim that “impunity continues and killings remain widespread,” the presidential spokesperson said, “I’m not aware of that report.”
Hasan explained that “since President Tinubu took office, insecurity has worsened. Nigeria is now one of the deadliest countries in the world. Amnesty International reports document thousands of killings and kidnappings continuing under this administration.”
When he asked the presidential mouthpiece if he was aware of that, Bwala simply responded, “I am not aware of that specific report.”
Bwala, who was the former spokesman for Atiku Abubakar and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) during the 2023 general election campaign, surmised that “we are focused on fighting terrorism.”
The native of Gwaski in Hawul Local Government Area of Borno State, who is currently studying for his Ph.D. in Law at the University of Reading, UK, holds an LLM in International Business Law from Coventry University, UK. He bagged his LLB (Hons) Law from the University of Maiduguri, Nigeria.
Regarding his faith and public life, Bwala is a minister of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN), also known as the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria.
During interviews with major news outlets like BBC and Arise News, he explicitly stated, “I am a Christian Pastor,” from Northern Nigeria.
