The Senior Adviser to United States President, Donald Trump, on Arab and African Affairs, Massad Boulos, has said that terrorist groups such as Boko Haram and ISIS have killed more Muslims than Christians in Nigeria.
He noted that extremist groups continue to inflict suffering on people of all backgrounds, adding that, “We even know that Boko Haram and ISIS are killing more Muslims than Christians. People are suffering at all forms of backgrounds. This is not specifically targeted.”
He said this in a video shared by the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) and seen by the media.
“This is certainly unfortunate, of course, any incident, any loss of lives, those who know the terrain well know that terrorism has no colour, no religion, no tribe, people of all religions are dying from terrorists act,” he said.
Calling for stronger collaboration to address insecurity, the envoy stressed, “Any loss of lives is one too many, we must have a partnership to put an end to this. With regards to some instances in the Middle Belt where farmers who happen to be Christians, some herdsmen are going there and we have these incidents. We cannot say this is specifically targeted at a group. We must work together to put an end to this.”
He further commended the Nigerian government’s ongoing security efforts, saying, “The Nigerian government and the President Tinubu’s administration, they have taken additional measures, and put more resources in those areas and we have seen some improvements, we appreciate those measures and we look forward to more of those.”
Reaffirming Nigeria’s long-standing unity and tolerance, the envoy stated, “We know that Nigeria is a country in which all sorts of religious and ethnic groups, tribal and other groups are living together in harmony for centuries. Nigeria is a country split say 50-50 between Christians and Muslims, this has never been a serious religious issue.”
Previously, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) expressed deep concern over the persistent violence and insecurity affecting Christians in several parts of the country, especially in the North, saying many communities have suffered “severe attacks, loss of life, and destruction of places of worship.”
In a press release made available to SaharaReporters, CAN said the scale of killings and displacement facing Christians had reached alarming proportions and demanded urgent, transparent action from the government and security agencies.
The body’s comment also comes amid concerns by Senators in the United States who say Christians are targeted by killings in Nigeria.
The Nigerian government has although denied such claims severally.
Earlier, lawmaker, Riley M. Moore, called on Secretary of State Marco Rubio to immediately take decisive diplomatic action against the Nigerian government over what he described as the “systematic persecution and slaughter of Christians” in the country.
In a letter dated October 6, 2025, and addressed to Rubio, who currently serves as U.S. Secretary of State, Moore said Nigeria has become the “deadliest place in the world to be a Christian,” urging the U.S. to “use all diplomatic tools available”, including halting arms sales to Nigeria and redesignating it as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) under the U.S. International Religious Freedom Act.
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