Last Updated on 4 November 2025
4, November, 2025 — Two prominent Nigerian political commentators are under fire after viral videos surfaced showing them dismissing claims of Christian persecution that they once passionately advocated.
Reno Omokri (@renoomokri) and Femi Fani-Kayode (@realFFK) spent years documenting what they called “genocide” against Christians in Nigeria. Now, both men argue there is no Christian genocide, sparking accusations of political opportunism.
The Evidence: then and now
What they said before (2017-2020)
Femi Fani-Kayode (@realFFK):
April 18, 2017: claimed the killing of Christians by Fulani militias in Southern Kaduna was a “bloodbath and genocide continues.”
December 7, 2017: vowed to “NEVER forgive or forget” the murder of priests by “radical Islamic terrorists.”
June 18, 2018: accused the government of allowing a system where “No Fulani terrorist has been reprimanded or jailed for killing more than 5,300 Christians” and suggested Nigeria was an “apartheid state.”
September 17, 2018: cited specific numbers of “Christians killed” by “Fulani terrorists” in Jos North, Plateau, and Numan.
February 4, 2020: xalled President Buhari’s claim that “90% of Boko Haram victims are Muslim” a “lie” and stated the killing of Christians was a “common blood sport”.
February 27, 2020: claimed that the APC was the “sponsor of BH” and that BH was the “armed wing”.
Reno Omokri (@renoomokri):
- January 29, 2017: criticized those who are “SILENT in condemning genocide of Christians in Nigeria!“
- June 25, 2018: described killings by herdsmen as being on a scale that can only be described as genocide, accusing the government of covering up the violence.
- August 12, 2020: declared that what was happening in Southern Kaduna was “ALREADY like Rwandan genocide” and alleged that “Herdsmen kill Christians and @Elrufai pays them.”
- February 10, 2021: questioned why @JoeBiden was less concerned about Christian rights when “Tens of thousands of Nigerian Christians have been killed for their Christianity.”
- May 15, 2022: warned after the Deborah Samuel murder, “This is how the Rwanda genocide started.”
What they’re saying now (2025)
Femi Fani-Kayode (@realFFK):
- October 13, 2025 (video statement shared on Twitter/X): “which Christian did they kill? Which Christian? Am I not a Christian? Why have they not killed me?”
- October 8, 2025 (article: “A Warning to Senator Ted Cruz” published on PRNigeria, Vanguard, Blueprint): Called Senator Ted Cruz “the joker of the century” and “AIPAC-sponsored village asinine fool” for claiming Christian genocide exists.
- October 5, 2025 (Twitter/X post: “The Fiction of Christian Genocide and the Conspiracy Against Nigeria”): accused Americans and Western allies of plotting to incite religious war in Nigeria.
- October 2025 (article: “Christian Genocide: The Dangers of Mischaracterisation” published on Premium Times, The Eagle): Described genocide claims as “a gross, perfidious and unforgivable mischaracterisation” by “intellectually challenged and low-intelligence quota reprobates.”
Reno Omokri (@renoomokri):
- October 13, 2025 (ARISE News interview): “There is no Christian genocide in Nigeria… When terrorists attack Benue, most of the victims are Christians because Benue is Christian-dominated; when they hit Zamfara, most victims are Muslims. So there is no Christian genocide.”
- October 2025 (multiple Twitter/X posts): Invited Republican fact-finding delegation to Nigeria and challenged U.S. claims as “ludicrous and based on misinformation.”
- March 15, 2025 (statement on Twitter/X): Violence is “a vicious and barbaric assault on all Nigerians both Christian and Muslim alike” by “French-speaking and Arab-speaking foreign nationality violent aliens and illegal immigrants.”
The context
The controversy intensified after President Donald Trump threatened military intervention in Nigeria on November 1, 2025, citing “mass slaughter” of Christians. Senator Ted Cruz also introduced the “Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act of 2025.”
Both Omokri and Fani-Kayode now support President Bola Tinubu’s administration, leading critics to accuse them of changing positions for political gain. Both deny receiving government compensation.
What the data shows
The security situation in Nigeria remains disputed:
Evidence of Violence:
- Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) recorded over 20,400 civilian deaths between January 2020 and September 2024
- Of deaths where religion was recorded: 417 Muslim, 317 Christian (most victims’ religious identity wasn’t documented)
- Christian advocacy groups document targeted attacks on churches and clergy, particularly in Plateau, Benue, and Southern Kaduna states
Government response: Nigeria’s government argues that:
- Christians hold top security positions
- First Lady Oluremi Tinubu is a Christian pastor
- Violence stems from terrorism, banditry, and resource conflicts—not religious targeting
Public backlash
Rev. Ezekiel Dachomo, a Plateau State religious leader, publicly condemned Omokri: “There is genocide and I have evidence to prove this. I have pictures of innocent people killed, including little children… I have already cursed him.”
Mike Arnold, a former Texas mayor invited by Omokri to investigate, contradicted his narrative, calling him “a pathological liar” attempting to “whitewash atrocities.”
A viral video contrasting their past and present statements has circulated widely on social media, with the narrator mockingly noting: “We shall never forgive or forget… I don’t know why they call forget now.”
The debate
Whether Nigeria’s violence constitutes genocide, ethnic cleansing, or a broader security crisis remains contested. Legal experts note that genocide requires proof of systematic intent to destroy a particular group.
What’s undisputed: Thousands of Nigerians—both Christian and Muslim—have been killed in recent years. The debate over terminology, critics argue, shouldn’t delay assistance to victims or accountability for perpetrators.
