Adefarasin Denies Genocide Against Christians, Questions US Interest in Nigeria

Senior Pastor of Guiding Light Assembly, Pastor Wale Adefarasin, has dismissed claims of genocide against Christians in Nigeria, describing the situation as exaggerated and questioning the motives behind the United States’ sudden concern.

In a viral video shared on Monday, Adefarasin reacted to recent statements by U.S. President Donald Trump, who accused Nigeria of allowing the mass killing of Christians and threatened possible U.S. military intervention.

The cleric, however, said the killings of Christians in parts of northern Nigeria are not new, noting that such incidents have occurred for decades.

“For 40 years that I have been a Christian, there have been killings in southern Kaduna, killings on the plateau, and riots,” Adefarasin said.

He recalled previous outbreaks of religious violence in Nigeria that were often triggered by global incidents, including the defacement of an image of Prophet Muhammad in France.

“Sometimes, I think it was in France that an image of Prophet Muhammad was defaced. Who remembers that? And as a result of that, there were killings of Christians in Nigeria,” he said.

According to Adefarasin, portraying the situation as genocide is misleading and paints a false picture of Nigeria’s religious landscape.
“And so, it’s nothing new. It doesn’t amount to genocide. The way the West are talking about it, it’s as if if a Christian steps on the street, his head will be blown off,” he added.

The pastor went on to question the motive behind Washington’s recent interest in Nigeria’s internal affairs, hinting that the concern might be driven by economic and strategic interests.

“I’m trying to understand this sudden love for Christians. Is it because we now have one of the largest refineries in the world and no longer have to ship raw materials abroad? Or is it because of the 21st-century minerals we now have that are used to generate nuclear power for electric vehicles?” he asked.

Adefarasin’s comments come amid growing international reactions to Trump’s threat of possible U.S. military action in Nigeria over alleged persecution of Christians.