By Huldah Shado
The Christian Social Movement of Nigeria (CSMN), speaking on behalf of a coalition of Christian and civil society organisations, has called for urgent intervention by the United Nations, the International Criminal Court (ICC), and the United States government over what it described as an “ongoing genocide” against Christians in Nigeria.
At a press conference, the coalition alleged that extremist groups, including Boko Haram, ISWAP, armed Fulani herdsmen and bandit factions are carrying out systematic attacks that meet the criteria for genocide under the UN Genocide Convention and the Rome Statute of the ICC.
It urged the UN Security Council and the ICC to deploy investigators to Nigeria to ascertain the scale of the atrocities.
The group listed over a dozen Christian organisations aligned with its position and accused some church leaders of “collaborating to cover up” the scale of killings.
It dismissed government and religious denials, insisting that only independent international investigators could uncover the truth.
CSMN also argued that the killing of Muslims by extremist groups does not invalidate its claims, saying those attacks were not carried out by Christians but by groups with “affinities to Islam.”
The coalition reaffirmed support for U.S. intervention under the Responsibility to Protect (R2P), doctrine, saying the Federal Government has failed to stop “large-scale loss of life” across the country.
It cited the dominance of Muslims in top security and government positions as further evidence of alleged bias.
The group criticised the African Union Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf and the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), for dismissing its claims, describing their positions as attempts to “muddy the waters.”
It also faulted the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), for what it termed a weak response to conflicting narratives.
CSMN ended the briefing by restating its three key demands: US support for Christian communities under attack, the deployment of UN and ICC investigators, and urgent international action to halt what it insists is a genocide unfolding in Nigeria.
