Alleged Genocide: US intelligence has failed again – NOA

By Al-Mustapha A. Mustapha The Director-General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Lanre Issa-Onilu, has faulted recent comments by former United States President Donald Trump alleging a “Christian genocide” in Nigeria, describing the claim as false, misleading, and based on faulty intelligence. Issa-Onilu said this on Monday in Abuja during the monthly security briefing organised […]

By Al-Mustapha A. Mustapha

The Director-General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Lanre Issa-Onilu, has faulted recent comments by former United States President Donald Trump alleging a “Christian genocide” in Nigeria, describing the claim as false, misleading, and based on faulty intelligence.

Issa-Onilu said this on Monday in Abuja during the monthly security briefing organised by the agency and other security stakeholders.

He said Trump’s remarks reflected another instance of the failure of U.S. intelligence, recalling similar misjudgments in Iraq and Libya.

“This is not the first time that the intelligence of the United States has failed America. It failed them in Iraq, it failed them in Libya, and this is another error,” Issa-Onilu said.

He explained that while insecurity remains a concern, it is not religiously motivated, adding that killings across parts of the country are largely driven by terrorism, banditry, and communal clashes.

“What we have in this country is a challenge of insecurity, of terrorists, of bandits, and of kidnappers. The claim of a Christian genocide is simply untrue,” he said.

Issa-Onilu also dismissed suggestions of religious bias in the security structure, noting that top military and police chiefs are Christians, including the Chief of Defence Staff and the Inspector General of Police.

He warned against foreign interference in Nigeria’s internal affairs, citing the experiences of Libya, Syria, and Yemen as examples of nations destabilised by external interventions.

The NOA boss said recent data showed steady improvements in national security and anti-corruption efforts across agencies.

According to him, arrests of major suspects rose from 42 in September to 56 in October, while fatalities from violent crimes dropped by 12 percent within the same period.

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) recovered ₦840 million and $919,000 in October, while the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) recovered ₦566.3 billion and $411.6 million in the last two years, with 1,502 properties forfeited.

He said ₦100 billion from the recoveries had been reinvested into the federal government’s student loan and consumer credit schemes.

Issa-Onilu added that the NDLEA dismantled 40 drug syndicates, arrested over 1,300 suspects, and secured 251 convictions in October, while NAFDAC seized more than 70 containers of counterfeit products.