The Nigerian Presidency has reiterated its position that the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) is responsible for fabricating and promoting the narrative of a "Christian genocide" in the country, a claim it describes as a long-standing hoax designed to mislead international audiences and strain Nigeria's foreign relations.
Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, stated that emerging facts, including a recent New York Times investigation, are validating earlier assertions by the government.
In a post on his official X account, Bwala referenced prior interviews where he linked the narrative directly to IPOB, noting that the publication had traced the origins of the genocide allegations to Emeka Umeagbalasi, leader of the Onitsha-based NGO International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety).
Umeagbalasi, described in the report as a trader, was accused of masterminding the claims that influenced U.S. President Donald Trump's actions, including the redesignation of Nigeria as a "Country of Particular Concern" and subsequent U.S. military strikes against ISIS elements in Sokoto State.
Bwala emphasized that the narrative, which he called a deliberate misinformation campaign, had been amplified since as early as 2016 to push separatist agendas and provoke discord between Nigeria and its Western allies.
In a related development, a faction of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organization Ohanaeze Ndigbo strongly criticized The New York Times for a report suggesting Igbo individuals played a role in providing intelligence that contributed to the U.S. airstrikes on ISIS targets in Sokoto.
Deputy President General Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, speaking from Abakaliki, described the publication as misleading and potentially inflammatory, warning that it could incite ethnic tensions and suspicion against Igbo communities, especially in northern Nigeria.
Isiguzoro categorically denied any Igbo involvement in supplying intelligence or participating in U.S. counterterrorism operations, insisting that such portrayals risked reviving historical ethnic animosities reminiscent of events leading to the 1966 crises.
He demanded an unreserved apology and retraction from the newspaper, while commending the ongoing U.S.-Nigeria collaboration against terrorism under President Trump and the Tinubu administration.
The controversy follows U.S. strikes in late December 2025 on alleged ISIS camps in Sokoto, coordinated with Nigerian authorities, amid heightened claims of targeted violence against Christians.
The Presidency maintains that the genocide allegations are baseless and politically motivated, primarily propagated by IPOB to advance its secessionist goals rather than reflect accurate security realities.
Tensions around the issue persist, with critics arguing the claims exaggerate isolated incidents, while advocates point to documented attacks on Christian communities in parts of the north.
The federal government continues to counter the narrative domestically and internationally, urging reliance on verified facts over sensational reports.
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