The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has faulted the statement released by Daniel Bwala, special adviser to the president on policy communication, after a meeting with the association in Abuja.
On Monday, Bwala visited the leadership of CAN at the association’s national secretariat in Abuja, the country’s capital.
The meeting took place amid the allegation of Christian genocide in Nigeria and the move by some United States lawmakers to protect “persecuted” Christians.
In a statement released after the visit, Bwala said he told the CAN officials that Western media and US lawmakers are “responsible for painting an inaccurate picture” of the situation in Nigeria.
The presidential aide said the country’s security challenges have evolved before religion.
But in a statement on Tuesday, Okoh said the association did not describe the killings of Christian as “so-called Christian genocide”.
The CAN president said the statement released by Bwala after the visit “falsely suggested” that the association downplayed the killings of Christians.
“During the visit, Barrister Bwala sought to understand CAN’s position regarding the global reactions to remarks by United States Senator Ted Cruz, who described the widespread attacks on Christian communities in Nigeria as a ‘Christian genocide’,” the statement reads.
“He noted that both Christians and Muslims have suffered from insecurity, adding that the current administration inherited the problem and is working to address it.
“CAN made it clear that its position on this issue has long been established and remains unchanged. Across many parts of Northern Nigeria and the Middle Belt, Christian communities have suffered repeated, organised, and brutal attacks which have left thousands dead, villages destroyed, and families displaced.
