The ReporterNg
For far too long, a poisonous narrative has been allowed to metastasize across Nigeria and beyond its shores – a simplistic, inflammatory claim that “Muslims are killing Christians on the Plateau.” It is a storyline repeated so often that even reputable institutions abroad, including in the United States, have been seduced into believing it. Yet nothing could be further from the truth. The facts on the ground do not merely contradict this narrative; they obliterate it.
Plateau State is overwhelmingly Christian in population, leadership, administration, and security architecture. From the governor to the deputy, from the commissioners to the directors, from special advisers to the heads of the security agencies—all are Christians. The security outfits that police the state, the apparatus that investigates crime, the machinery that maintains order, and the intelligence networks that track threats are almost entirely controlled by Christians. Islam is the minority faith, with little to no influence over the structures that wield power. And yet, despite this reality, the world is still told, with astonishing confidence, that Muslims are the aggressors, the masterminds, the bloodthirsty villains of Plateau’s tragedy. It is a narrative that defies logic, mocks truth, and insults reason.
The recent disclaimer by the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto exposes how false narratives and recycled propaganda have been weaponized to demonize Islam, Muslims, and Northern Nigeria. The Diocese confirmed there was no attack on Bishop Kukah, the Cathedral, or the Catholic Pastoral Centre, debunking years of misinformation that had even been amplified internationally to portray the Sokoto Caliphate as a “terrorist organization.”
This revelation underscores a broader problem: anti-Islam and anti-North propaganda thrives on lies and selective reporting, deliberately designed to stigmatize communities, sow division, and destabilize peace. It shows how misinformation, if unchecked, can be used to manipulate global perception and fuel domestic hostility.
One must ask: who benefits from these lies? Certainly not the innocent. Certainly not the peace-loving communities—Muslim or Christian—caught in the cycle of violence. The people who benefit are those who weaponize falsehood, who manipulate religious sentiment for political advantage, who refuse to confront the criminality within their own fold.
The hypocrisy becomes even more glaring when examining the long list of atrocities whose perpetrators, conveniently, vanish into silence once identified. When a Reverend Father was arrested for supplying weapons to terrorists, the outrage evaporated overnight. When a church treasurer orchestrated the kidnapping of pastors, the story was quietly buried. When a pastor arranged the attempted assassination of a governor’s father, there was no national uproar, no mass lamentation, no international condemnation. The killers of General Alkali Ali, brazen and unrepentant, were shielded by a wall of communal silence. The murderers of the 26 Maulud celebrants in 2021 faded from the headlines with astonishing speed. The same fate befell the killers of the Zaria wedding travelers in 2024, the five Muslim traders murdered during Ramadan in 2026, and the five Muslims slaughtered at a filling station. Each time the victims were Muslim, the nation shrugged. Each time the evidence pointed toward Christian perpetrators, excuses were manufactured. Each time the narrative became inconvenient, it was simply abandoned.
And yet, when any attack occurs—no matter how unclear, no matter how uninvestigated, no matter how contradictory the testimonies—the old script is immediately revived: blame the Muslims. Criminals become “unknown gunmen” when they are from the majority, but magically acquire a religious identity when the state needs a villain.
This cycle of selective outrage and calculated silence does not merely distort truth; it deepens wounds, fuels resentment, and undermines the very peace the state claims to be fighting for. Plateau cannot heal on a diet of falsehood. Nigeria cannot progress while truth is bent to fit prejudices. And the international community cannot claim to stand for justice while accepting a narrative that collapses under the weight of its own contradictions.
On Sunday, April 5, the Amalgamation of Muslim Rights Concern (AMURIC) has rightly sounded the alarm, pointing to a pattern of targeted killings where victims are singled out, identified by their faith, and executed in cold blood.
This is not random violence. It is deliberate. Travelers stopped on highways, asked their names, and killed when their identity is revealed. Traders ambushed on their way to markets, their lives ended simply because of who they are. Worshippers attacked in sacred spaces, their prayers interrupted by bullets and machetes. And most recently, Haruna, a young corps member, murdered on the eve of his Passing-Out Parade — his future stolen because of profiling.
What makes this crisis even more insidious is the selective reporting and one-sided narratives that dominate public discourse. Too often, the killings of Muslims are ignored, downplayed, or erased from the national conversation. Rather, it is the FAKE narrative of Christian Genocide” This evil plot against the Muslims fuels division, emboldens perpetrators, and undermines national unity.
READ ALSO: “Singled Out for Death”: AMURIC warns against pattern of targeted killings in Jos crisis
Fresh Plateau killings target against Tinubu’s 2027 votes — APC chieftain
Evil plot against Muslims exposed: Sokoto Catholic Diocese denies attack on Bishop Kukah’s residence
UPDATED: See Photos: Tinubu commissions Gateway Int’l Airport, other projects in Ogun
The Plateau killings expose a fundamental truth: justice cannot be selective. Every victim deserves recognition, and every perpetrator must face accountability. Whether Muslim or Christian, Hausa or Berom, Yoruba or Igbo — no life is expendable, and no murder should be excused.
This is a moment for Nigeria to confront its conscience. We must resist attempts to manipulate public perception through propaganda that pits one religious group against another. We must demand that government authorities rise above bias, that security agencies act with professionalism, and that religious leaders and the media promote truth rather than division.
To the Muslims of Plateau, the rights that are not defended will always be denied, and a narrative that is not challenged will always be weaponized against you. What was sold to the US’ Trump is playing against Muslims. You cannot extricate yourselves from the political and administrative spaces where decisions are made, otherwise, others will continue to define you—falsely, dangerously, and deliberately.
The Plateau crisis is not a religious war. It is a complex conflict repeatedly twisted by those who find convenience in blaming a powerless minority. The victims on both sides deserve honesty, not propaganda. They deserve justice, not manipulation. They deserve a state courageous enough to confront its own internal failings rather than exporting a fictional narrative to the world.
Nigeria must reject the politics of deception. Plateau must embrace truth over sentiment. And the world must stop endorsing stories such stories as “Christian genocide in Nigeria” which to many Nigerians crumbles under the slightest scrutiny. Only then can peace, real peace, begin.