By Zagazola Makama
Abuja, Nigeria — A dangerous web of fake news and deceptive online propaganda is tearing at the fragile fabric of Nigeria’s peace, unity, and security.
Faceless actors, both within Nigeria and from foreign-based platforms, are deliberately spreading distorted narratives that dangerously recast the country’s security challenges as a religious war between Muslims and Christians.
But the truth tells a different story: both faiths have bled, both have buried their dead, and both have suffered unspeakable losses at the hands of terrorists, bandits, and communal violence.
From the relentless onslaught of Boko Haram and ISWAP to the marauding rural bandits of Zamfara, Sokoto, Katsina, and Niger, the devastation has been indiscriminate. Mosques, churches, markets, schools, and even military bases have all come under attack. Entire farming communities, overwhelmingly Muslim, have been wiped out. Meanwhile, in Plateau, Benue, Taraba, and Southern Kaduna, Muslim and Christian communities alike continue to endure bloody cycles of reprisal killings.
Yet, despite these grim realities, certain online outlets — many based abroad — relentlessly distort facts. They brand every attack in Northern Nigeria as an “attack on Christians,” peddling manipulated images and exaggerated statistics. In one instance, photographs of Muslim funeral prayers were falsely circulated as Christian burials, inflaming anger and mistrust.
Some of the claims defy logic and mathematics. Fabricated reports allege that “2,000 churches are destroyed daily” or “3,000 Christians killed every day.” Such impossible numbers are not only misleading but are crafted to stir emotions, fuel division, and rally international condemnation against Nigeria.
Security analysts describe this as nothing short of psychological warfare — a deliberate attempt to fracture Nigeria along religious lines, sow extremism, and damage the country’s reputation on the global stage.
Worse still, these actors maintain double standards. While amplifying falsehoods about Nigeria, they remain curiously silent about global revelations — including former U.S. President Donald Trump’s allegations that some international aid agencies indirectly funneled resources to extremist groups like Boko Haram and ISWAP.
The endgame, experts warn, is clear: destabilisation, sanctions, and the weakening of Nigeria’s sovereignty.
Civil society organisations, religious leaders, and the Nigerian government are now being urged to rise to the challenge. The fightback must include exposing fake narratives, strengthening media literacy, and ensuring that credible information overshadows lies in the digital space.
This is no longer a matter of careless reporting. It is a war on truth, unity, and the soul of the Nigerian state.
Nigerians — Muslim, Christian, and others — are being called upon to reject these divisive tactics and stand together. The message is simple but urgent: Nigeria must not be dragged into a religious war built entirely on misinformation.
PIONEER NEWS 