A heated exchange unfolded on Piers Morgan’s programme on Tuesday as Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Yusuf Tuggar, squared off with former Canadian lawmaker Goldie Ghamari over claims of widespread persecution of Christians in Nigeria. The discussion escalated as Tuggar challenged statistics, while Ghamari accused the Nigerian government of enabling Islamist extremism.
Morgan cited data from the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law alleging over 50,000 Christian deaths and 18,000 churches destroyed since 2009. Tuggar refuted these figures, stating that the government does not track fatalities by religion and reported only 177 Christians killed and 102 churches attacked in the past five years.
Ghamari linked Nigeria’s security crisis to jihad, criticized the Muslim identities of President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima, and alleged connections with Iran. Tuggar dismissed her claims as uninformed rhetoric, emphasising that Nigerians prioritise geopolitical balance over faith and noting his own family tragedy caused by Boko Haram attacks.
The confrontation intensified as Tuggar accused Ghamari of inflaming conflicts from afar and misunderstanding Nigeria’s ethnic and security landscape. He warned that attempts to fracture Nigeria would fail, stating, “It’s not going to happen to Nigeria. Move on to your next project. You’re a disgrace. You’re a disgrace to the Canadian nation.”
The programme highlighted ongoing tensions over narratives of religious violence in Nigeria, sparking debate about external criticism, local realities, and the complexity of the nation’s security challenges.