Human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) has accused U.S. President Donald Trump of lying to the global community by alleging that a Christian genocide is taking place in Nigeria — a claim Falana says has no factual or evidential basis.
Falana made the statement on Wednesday while appearing on Politics Today, a programme on Channels Television, in reaction to Trump’s recent remarks declaring Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern” and threatening possible U.S. military action if the Nigerian government “continues to allow the killing of Christians.”
The senior advocate described Trump’s comments as reckless and baseless, emphasizing that such unfounded allegations could damage Nigeria’s image internationally.
“Mr Trump doesn’t regard us as anything at all — Nigeria and South Africa,” Falana said. “For him, we are either a sh*thole country or a disgraceful country. I’m going to look at this from a human rights perspective. I’m not a diplomat. My position is that Mr Trump has lied to the whole world by alleging Christian genocide in Nigeria without any evidence to back it up.”
Falana’s remarks come amid growing international scrutiny of Nigeria’s human rights record and security challenges. He maintained that while religious and ethnic violence exists in some regions, it is misleading and dangerous to label it as a government-backed “genocide.”
The human rights advocate called on global leaders to verify claims before making inflammatory statements that could fuel division and tension in already fragile societies.
