The Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) has issued a scathing rebuke of controversial Islamic cleric Ahmad Abubakar Gumi's assertion that Christians in Nigeria's Middle Belt are staging funerals with empty coffins to falsely claim a genocide against them.
In a strongly worded statement released on Friday, PFN National Publicity Secretary Dr. Sylvanus Ukafia labeled Gumi's remarks as "baseless, inflammatory, and utterly illogical," accusing the cleric of spreading propaganda that mocks genuine suffering and sows division amid escalating violence.
"Across all Nigerian cultures, Christian, Muslim, and traditional burying empty coffins is unheard of," Ukafia wrote.
"Funerals are sacred, community-driven rituals tied to real people, families, and histories. The notion that entire villages would orchestrate mass fake burials without a single leak or contradiction is not just absurd it's a profound insult to the bereaved.
"Ukafia highlighted the well-documented toll of terrorism and banditry in Nigeria, with thousands of verified deaths captured by humanitarian organizations, international monitors, satellite evidence, and media reports.
"There's no need to 'invent' victims when the real ones are piling up," he added, decrying Gumi's comments as a cynical ploy to undermine global attention on the crisis, including recent outcries from U.S. lawmakers.
The PFN statement also took aim at the timing of Gumi's outburst, framing it as part of a broader pattern where the cleric has repeatedly minimized targeted attacks on Christians.
"To imply that mourning families are actors in some grand hoax is insensitive, irresponsible, and morally bankrupt," Ukafia continued.
"If these burials were faked on such a scale, who shoveled the graves? Who shouldered the coffins? Who captured the footage? Not one witness has ever stepped forward, because it's a fabrication without a shred of evidence."
In a pointed call to action, Ukafia implored public figures to prioritize truth, empathy, and national unity over divisive rhetoric, especially on matters of life, death, and security.
The PFN's response comes amid heightened international scrutiny of Nigeria's security woes.The controversy reignited following U.S.
President Donald Trump's recent declarations, in which he accused jihadist groups of slaughtering Christians en masse in Nigeria.
Trump urged President Bola Tinubu's administration to curb the violence or face U.S. intervention, while designating Nigeria a "Country of Particular Concern" for religious freedom violations.
He further warned of halting American aid and mobilizing the U.S. Department of Defense against the perpetrators.
Tinubu's government has pushed back forcefully, with senior officials insisting the attacks are indiscriminate and affect Muslims disproportionately.
"Terrorism spares no one," they argued, rejecting the genocide label despite acknowledging the pervasive threat.
Yet the PFN doubled down on the peril facing Christians, with its national president directly addressing Tinubu: "There is indeed a Christian genocide unfolding. It's time to cooperate with President Trump and confront this head-on, before more lives are lost to denial and delay."
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