MyNigeria has unearthed a press briefing in which Nigeria's former Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, revealed that Boko Haram terrorists were singling out Christians and their villages for attacks.

It is worth recalling that the Nigerian government in recent days have denied any such thing as Christian genocide going on in the country.

The denial heightened when U.S President Donald Trump threatened to send troops to defeat terrorism and end the killing of Christians by Islamists in Nigeria.

In response, the Federal Government stated that what Nigeria suffers is terrorism that strikes targets without any consideration of religious faith.

However, in February 2020, under the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, granted a press briefing, saying Boko Haram insurgents changed tactics and started focusing on Christians and their establishments.

He said, “Recall that Boko Haram insurgents didn’t use to discriminate between Christians and Muslims when they carried out their attacks in the past. Churches and mosques, Christians and Muslims were attacked without discrimination.

“When they targeted motor parks, the religion, gender, ethnicity or political leaning of the victims didn’t matter, as long as they inflicted the maximum damage to lives and property.

“But in the wake of a renewed onslaught by our tireless military against Boko Haram and their ISWAP allies in recent times, the insurgents have apparently changed their strategy.

“They have started targeting Christians and Christian villages for a specific reason, which is to trigger a religious war and throw the nation into chaos.

“Apparently, they have realised how emotive and divisive religion can be, when exploited by unscrupulous persons.”

The minister added, “Lest I am misunderstood, let me repeat: the insurgents, who delude themselves as Muslims whereas they are nothing more than blood-thirsty, rapacious killers who subscribe to no religion, have recently started targeting Christians with a view to sowing the seed of confusion between the two great religions.

“This did not in any way signify that they have stopped attacking Muslims. But they seem to now have a deliberate policy of attacking Christians.”

He said the killing of Andimi, Dalep and 11 Christians on Christmas Eve, among others, fit into the new strategy.

Notwithstanding, Mohammed said it was absurd and unfair to those who are daily battling the insurgents to insinuate a systematic campaign to persecute Christians in Nigeria.

“The truth is that, having run out of options in their battle against Nigeria, the insurgents are desperate to stay relevant, to stay in the news, hence their cowardly and senseless strategy targeting Christians, as part of their increasing resort to the use of guerilla tactics,” he said.

ASA