The Coalition of Christian Youths has faulted the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Policy Communication, Mr Daniel Bwala, over what it described as a false and misleading statement on the plight of Christians in Nigeria.
At a joint media briefing in Abuja, leaders of the coalition — including Chima Chukwu, Richard Light, James Adama, Innocent Bawa, and Enoch Kela — accused Bwala of misrepresenting the position of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) after a recent meeting on the persistent attacks against Christian communities nationwide.
The coalition, comprising the Odua Youths Democrats Congress, Middle Belt Youths Vanguard & Progressive Congress, Concerned Christian Youths Forum, and the South East Congress for National Development, expressed anger over Bwala’s claim that there was no targeted killing of Christians in the country.
According to the group, such a statement was “misleading and insensitive,” especially in light of ongoing violence in Benue, Plateau, and parts of Borno State, where several Christian communities have allegedly been attacked, destroyed, and even renamed by aggressors.
Adama, one of the group’s leaders, said it was disappointing that a public official from Borno — a region scarred by years of insurgency — would deny what he called a “clear case of persecution and displacement” of Christians.
He described Bwala’s position as “a betrayal of truth and justice,” adding that political loyalty should never override humanity and fairness.
The coalition urged public officeholders to always speak the truth, regardless of political affiliation, insisting that denying the suffering of victims of religious violence would only deepen divisions and trauma.
It further appealed to Nigerians to pursue healing and unity through truth and justice rather than through denial or political correctness.