Former presidential candidate and activist Omoyele Sowore has dismissed claims of an ongoing Christian genocide in Nigeria.

Addressing newsmen, Sowore revealed that what Nigeria is facing is insecurity, adding that it affects everyone, including Christians and Muslims.

This was as he slammed international hypocrisy concerning the situation in Nigeria, just as he highlighted the war perpetrated by Israel in Gaza.

He said, "There's genocide against the poor in this country. There's genocide against Muslims in this country. There's genocide against Christians in this country. There's genocide against children in this country. To now separate it to say it's one religion or another...

"Interestingly, Nigeria doesn't count or do DNA of people who are killed to determine whether they are carrying a Bible or a Quran. The number of people that were abducted on Ore road yesterday, did anybody find out whether they were Christians or Muslims?

"While the US can nitpick to say there is genocide against Christians in Nigeria, why are they not taking the same position in Gaza, that there's genocide against Muslims by Israel? There's international hypocrisy about that. A country where they are killing about 6,000 people a day, you did not designate the killer as a genocidal government.

"Please, I am not in anyway defending what is happening in Nigeria. The problem with Nigeria has nothing to do with religion. It is completely irresponsible leadership and insecurity that kills everybody. What about when the terrorists go and kill people in the mosque?

"When you talk about insecurity in this country, it happens more in the Muslim part of the north. I think they killed about 35 people in a mosque in Katsina and the people who killed them were not Christians. They were probably people who identify as extremists. The truth is that we like to water down the irresponsibility of our leaders. This gives them an alibi, then the US will come up with a policy to say, 'Okay, let's protect the Christians. Let's bring a big boat and take all the Christians out and see if nobody will get killed again'."

Sowore's comment came a few days after some US lawmakers raised the alarm over Christian genocide in Nigeria and pushed a bill that will see Nigeria designated as a Country of Particular Concern.

ASA