Lai Mohammed, Nigeria’s former Minister of Information and Culture, has hinted on why Boko Haram insurgents started killing Christians in the country.

He gave the hint while dismissing  claims of a targeted genocide against Christians in Nigeria, saying insurgent groups have killed more Muslims than Christians. Mohammed spoke in the United Kingdom yesterday, while fielding questions from students of Abbey College, Cambridge. The session was organised to give students from diverse backgrounds an opportunity to engage on developments in Nigeria, particularly governance and youth participation in politics.

Responding to a question on religious persecution, especially against Christians, the former minister said narratives of a “Christian genocide” in Nigeria were inaccurate. “There should be more understanding on the part of the developed world. Now, people say that there is religious persecution in Nigeria and that there is genocide against Christians. It’s not true. It is fake news,” he said. Mohammed argued that Nigeria’s security challenges were complex and not driven by a deliberate campaign to eliminate any religious group.“Nigeria as a country has challenges that will not be resolved by genocide against any religion,” he added.

He said Boko Haram initially emerged as a movement targeting Muslims who embraced Western education, noting that early victims were largely Muslims.“At the beginning, the victims of Boko Haram were largely Muslims, not Christians. Boko Haram started as a revolt by extreme Muslims against conventional Muslims like me. “Look at the meaning of Boko Haram — ‘haram’ means forbidden or illicit, ‘boko’ means Western education. So for Boko Haram, I, Lai Mohammed,having gone to school, am an enemy.

“They realised that Muslims killing one another doesn’t gain traction. When Muslims start killing Christians, it causes uproar. That is the honest truth,” he said. The former minister also dismissed claims that banditry in Nigeria was driven by religion, describing it instead as a criminal enterprise affecting people of the same ethnic and religious backgrounds.

He insisted that records showed Muslims account for the largest number of victims of insurgent attacks in Nigeria. He said: “The bandits are Muslims, they are Hausa-Fulanis. Their victims are Muslims, they are Hausa-Fulanis. So how can you now talk about religion? It has nothing to do with religion. “We have a spirit of religious tolerance in Nigeria and I challenge anyone to say it is not true.

People can hide under anything to commit crime but one, it is not a policy. Number two, the average Nigerian is not bothered about your religion or ethnicity. “In Nigeria, the average Muslim and Christian only disagree over money. They won’t disagree over theology. They are more concerned about the economy and ways of life. That is why you have many Christians marrying Muslims and vice versa. “So, this narrative about Christian genocide is not true and we must vigorously use public communication to challenge it.”