The Presidency has said that the long-standing claim of a “Christian genocide” in Nigeria was falsely created by members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
This follows a recent report by The New York Times, which accused Emeka Umeagbalasi, a trader and head of the Onitsha-based NGO Intersociety, of being behind the genocide narrative.
The report said the claim influenced actions taken by U.S. President Donald Trump and some American lawmakers.
Reacting to the report, President Bola Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, said the truth is now becoming clearer. In a statement posted on his X (formerly Twitter) account, Bwala recalled earlier interviews where he said IPOB was responsible for promoting the genocide narrative.
Meanwhile, a faction of the Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has criticised The New York Times. The group warned the newspaper not to allow itself to be used to spread unverified and dangerous reports that could cause ethnic tension and unrest in Nigeria.
Ohanaeze was reacting to another New York Times publication which claimed that Igbo individuals provided intelligence to the United States that led to airstrikes against ISIS targets in Sokoto.
Speaking in Abakaliki, the group’s Deputy President General, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, rejected the claim. He said the Igbo people are not involved in supplying intelligence or taking part in U.S. military actions against terrorists in Nigeria.
Isiguzoro warned that such reports could create suspicion and hostility against Igbo people, especially those living in Northern Nigeria. He stressed that although Igbo people have been victims in violent attacks, they are not the main promoters of the Christian persecution narrative.
He demanded a full apology from The New York Times and called for the report to be withdrawn, describing it as misleading and dangerous.
While praising the cooperation between the U.S. government and Nigeria in fighting terrorism, Isiguzoro firmly denied that Igbo individuals played any role in providing information that led to the Sokoto airstrikes.
He also said the report’s description of an Igbo man, allegedly a “screwdriver seller” from Onitsha, as a key intelligence source reminded him of propaganda that caused ethnic tensions before the 1966 crisis in Nigeria.
Ohanaeze said its statement was aimed at defending the truth and protecting the safety and reputation of the Igbo people.
