The war of words between two of Nigeria’s leading religious blocs intensified on Thursday as the Christian Social Movement of Nigeria (CSMN) issued a strongly worded rejoinder to the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), rejecting allegations against former Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) President, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, and accusing the Islamic body of attempting to distort public discourse on insecurity.
The development marks the latest escalation in an increasingly tense exchange between Christian and Muslim leaders over the causes of insecurity, religious profiling and alleged marginalisation in the country.
In a statement signed by its Chief Executive Officer and Executive Secretary, Bosun Emmanuel, the CSMN described the NSCIA’s recent warning to the Federal Government to “act before Muslims run out of patience” as “provocative,” “insensitive,” and lacking moral justification.
“The Christian Social Movement of Nigeria is shocked at the impudence of the NSCIA in alleging injury and offence at a supposed wrongful profiling of the Muslim faith,” the organisation said.
According to the Christian group, rather than issuing what it termed a warning to government, the Islamic body ought to apologise to Nigerians, particularly Christians, for the devastation allegedly caused by Islamist insurgent groups over the past decade and a half.
The CSMN argued that since the rise of Boko Haram and other armed groups from 2009, Nigeria has witnessed unprecedented levels of violence allegedly perpetrated by extremist organisations claiming Islamic motivations.
It questioned what it called the moral authority of the NSCIA to accuse Christians of profiling Muslims while, in its view, the country continues to grapple with terrorism, banditry and kidnappings linked to groups widely identified as Islamist insurgents.
Defence of Oritsejafor
Central to the latest dispute is an interview granted by former CAN President Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor on Channels Television.
The NSCIA had criticised remarks attributed to the cleric, claiming he said that “90 to 95 per cent of criminals were Muslims,” describing such comments as reckless and inflammatory.
However, the CSMN insisted the Islamic council deliberately misrepresented Oritsejafor’s comments.
According to the group, what the cleric actually said was that “99.9 per cent of those who are practising and making insecurity thrive are Muslims,” arguing that his statement specifically addressed insecurity rather than criminality in general.
“The NSCIA spokesman deliberately avoided the word ‘insecurity’ and substituted it with ‘criminals’ in order to create a false narrative,” the statement alleged.
The movement maintained that Oritsejafor neither labelled all Muslims as criminals nor sought to demonise adherents of Islam.
Rather, it said the former CAN president was highlighting what it described as the religious identities of many groups responsible for terrorism and violent insurgency in Nigeria.
Links Between Terror Groups and Islam
The Christian organisation argued that major insurgent groups operating across Nigeria – including Boko Haram, ISWAP, Lakurawa, armed bandit groups and violent Fulani militias – are made up of Muslims.
It further claimed that because the Sultan of Sokoto serves as President-General of the NSCIA and is recognised as Sarkin Musulmi (Leader of Muslims), he bears moral responsibility to publicly condemn and restrain violent elements operating under the banner of Islam.
The statement also referenced the Sultan’s position as traditional leader of the Fulani community, arguing that he has failed to sufficiently call violent herders to order.
“While the Sultan may deny complicity in the ongoing bloodshed, he cannot absolve himself of negligence,” the statement said.
Kidnapping Controversy
The CSMN also disputed claims made by the NSCIA regarding the kidnapping and murder of schoolchildren and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
The Islamic council had argued that a suspect arrested in connection with the incident was not only a Christian but also a pastor, suggesting that criminality should not be viewed through a religious lens.
But the Christian group dismissed the assertion, questioning whether a Christian pastor would demand the implementation of Sharia law or the release of arrested Muslim terrorists as conditions for freeing kidnapped victims.
The statement further alleged that such claims amounted to deliberate misinformation intended to shift public attention away from violent extremist groups.
Recall that the Police has since debunked the claim of a pastor being arrested over the kidnap of the schoolchildren.
Appeal to Tinubu
The Christian body called on President Bola Tinubu to intervene by urging Muslim leaders to publicly confront extremist elements operating within their communities.
It argued that Christians had exercised considerable restraint despite years of attacks on churches, clergy and Christian communities, warning against what it described as continued attempts to distort the realities surrounding terrorism in Nigeria.
“The Christian community has been patient under intensive provocation,” the organisation stated.
It concluded by insisting that Nigeria’s security crisis cannot be honestly addressed without acknowledging what it described as the dominant religious identity of those behind acts of terrorism.
Background: NSCIA Warns Government
The rejoinder followed a strongly worded statement issued earlier this week by the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), warning that Muslims’ continued restraint should not be mistaken for weakness.
In the statement signed by its Public Affairs Officer, Abbas Jimoh, on behalf of the Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the council, the NSCIA urged the Federal Government and security agencies to act decisively before Muslims “run out of patience.”
The council said Muslims had endured persistent attacks, profiling and marginalisation despite remaining committed to national peace and unity.
It called for swift prosecution of those responsible for killings in Kaduna and Benue States, demanded investigations into allegations involving police officers, and urged authorities to curb what it described as increasing attacks on Islam and Muslims in public discourse.
The NSCIA also faulted comments it attributed to Pastor Oritsejafor during a recent television interview, arguing that such remarks unfairly profiled Muslims and would likely have attracted police action had they been made by a prominent Muslim leader.
The Islamic body further rejected attempts to associate Muslims or Fulani communities with recent kidnappings in Oyo State, insisting that suspects arrested in connection with one of the incidents were Christians, including a pastor.
Beyond security issues, the council accused government institutions of marginalising Muslims in appointments, particularly in parts of southern Nigeria, while reaffirming its commitment to national unity and urging political leaders, security agencies and the media to prevent religious tensions from escalating.
Growing Religious Tensions
The exchange between the NSCIA and the CSMN underscores growing tensions over narratives surrounding insecurity, religious identity and political representation in Nigeria.
While both organisations maintain they seek peace and justice, their sharply conflicting interpretations of the country’s security crisis highlight the widening gulf between influential Christian and Muslim voices at a time when the Federal Government continues to battle insurgency, banditry, kidnappings and communal violence across several regions.