Key Highlights
- Tuggar, Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, disputed international claims of Christian persecution in the country.
- Ghamari, a former Canadian lawmaker, argued that Christians face systematic violence and linked it to regional geopolitical tensions.
- The discussion took place during an interview on Piers Morgan’s show, where Tuggar accused Ghamari of stoking conflict from afar.
- Both parties exchanged accusations and personal attacks, highlighting the contentious nature of the debate over religious violence in Nigeria.
Nigerian Minister Defends Government Against Genocide Claims
In a heated exchange during an interview on Piers Morgan’s show, Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, faced off against former Canadian lawmaker Goldie Ghamari over allegations that Christians in Nigeria are being persecuted. The discussion, which aired on Tuesday, 19th November 2025, delved into the controversial topic of religious violence and the government’s response.
Disputing International Claims
Morgan initially cited statistics from the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety), which reported that over 50,000 Christians have been killed and 18,000 churches destroyed in Nigeria since 2009. Tuggar swiftly dismissed these figures, stating that they were inaccurate. He emphasized that the Nigerian government does not classify fatalities by religion, treating all victims equally as Nigerians.
“The government’s stance is clear,” said Tuggar during the interview. “We do not differentiate between Christian and Muslim lives. Our focus is on ensuring security for all citizens regardless of their religious affiliations.”
Ghamari’s Controversial Claims
Ghamari, who served as a Canadian politician for seven years, argued that the violence against Christians in Nigeria amounted to jihad. She also controversially tied it to the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, suggesting a broader geopolitical context.
“I don’t have to be familiar with the Constitution of Nigeria to know that when someone yells ‘Allahu Akbar’ before they massacre 200 Christians and burn Christian churches, that’s not just banditry. That’s jihad,” Ghamari stated forcefully.
In her view, the targeting of Muslims by the Nigerian government does not negate the fact that there is a targeted ethnic cleansing of Christians in Nigeria. She further accused the current government of collaborating with Iran and using religious rhetoric to destabilize the country.
Personal Attacks and Accusations
The heated exchange escalated as Tuggar strongly refuted Ghamari’s claims, describing them as baseless and ill-informed. He accused her of reducing Nigerian lives to talking points and misunderstanding the nation’s complex political dynamics.
“People like her trade in starting wars in faraway places where they have no contact,” Tuggar said sternly. “They can do that from their armchairs, without any understanding or empathy for the ground realities.”
Tuggar went on to argue that Nigeria’s ethnic complexities are similar to those that led to the breakup of Sudan. He accused Ghamari and her allies of seeking to destabilize Nigeria because it is Africa’s largest democracy and a regional stabilizer.
International Context and Controversy
The discussion took place against the backdrop of international pressure on Nigeria, with the United States President Donald Trump declaring the country a “country of particular concern” due to alleged Christian genocide. The federal government has denied these claims, maintaining that there is no evidence of systematic persecution.
“We have lost 177 Christians and seen only 102 churches attacked in the last five years,” Tuggar stated during the interview, providing official figures to counter Intersociety’s statistics.
The debate highlights the complex and often polarizing nature of discussions surrounding religious violence in Nigeria. As tensions continue, both sides remain entrenched in their positions, with little sign of a consensus emerging any time soon.
