The Muslim Public Affairs Centre (MPAC) has denied claims by Bishop Wilfred Chikpa Anagbe of the Catholic Diocese of Makurdi during his testimony before the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee, Africa Subcommittee, on March 12, 2025.
In a statement yesterday, MPAC described the bishop’s remarks as “misleading and dangerous,” accusing him of making unsubstantiated allegations regarding the persecution of Christians in Benue State, and the supposed Islamisation of Nigeria.
Signed by its Executive Chairman, Disu Kamor, the organisation challenged the cleric’s assertion that a two per cent Muslim minority in Benue – a state he described as 98 per cent Christian, and governed largely by Christians – could pose an existential threat to the majority population.
“The idea that such a small minority can exert overwhelming influence and control to the point of posing an existential threat is mathematically improbable,” the body stated.
The statement also argued that issues such as poverty, inequality and political marginalization, not religious persecution, are the real drivers of violence and insecurity in Benue State.
It also criticised the cleric’s broader claim that Nigerian Muslims were orchestrating a long-term agenda to Islamise the country through violence and government complicity.
The organisation condemned what it described as “Islamophobic tropes” aimed at influencing U.S. policy and pushing for Nigeria to be designated as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC).
Linking the bishop’s testimony to a broader pattern of misinformation, MPAC referenced a 2020 campaign by Nigerian Christian leaders in the UK, which resulted in a controversial parliamentary report alleging a Christian genocide in Nigeria.
The organisation stressed that such narratives ignore the fact that Muslims have been the greatest victims of terrorism in Nigeria, suffering mass killings, displacements, and attacks from extremist groups like Boko Haram.
Citing multiple sources, including the U.S. Department of State’s International Religious Freedom Report, MPAC pointed out that both Muslims and Christians have been targeted by terrorist violence. It called on religious leaders to promote interfaith cooperation rather than spreading divisive rhetoric.
“We urge Bishop Anagbe to retract his unsubstantiated claims, and work alongside Nigerians of all faiths to promote peace and reconciliation,” MPAC said, warning that misinformation could further deepen national divisions.
The body also called on the Nigerian government to take action against religious leaders whose statements incite discord and urged the international community to verify facts before making policy decisions.
