The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has accused the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) of disloyalty to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, alleging that the Christian body betrayed the president despite what it described as his “generous consideration” toward Christians in federal appointments.
The accusation follows U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision on Friday to redesignate Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) over alleged persecution and killings of Christians.
MURIC’s Founder and Executive Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, in a statement on Saturday, condemned what he described as the involvement of certain Christian leaders in lobbying U.S. authorities to take punitive action against Nigeria.
“Despite the Nigerian government’s vehement denial of any Christian genocide, U.S. President Donald Trump yesterday redesignated Nigeria as a country of particular concern,” Akintola said.
The Islamic rights organization maintained that the U.S. decision was unjustified and based on “a complete misrepresentation of the situation in Nigeria.”
MURIC alleged that some Christian leaders were behind the country’s negative image abroad, accusing them of submitting “frivolous petitions” to the U.S. Congress and other international bodies.
“It will be recalled that certain Christian leaders had written frivolous petitions to the U.S. Congress claiming that Christians were the only ones being killed by terrorists in Nigeria. Instead of refuting this false and misleading narrative, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) simply amplified it,” the statement read.
Expressing disappointment in CAN’s role, MURIC said the body “ought to know better,” especially in light of what it called President Tinubu’s goodwill toward Christians through appointments and privileges.
“CAN’s action is a stab in the back, considering President Tinubu’s preference for Christians in appointments, favours, and privileges over his Muslim brethren,” the group added.
