A fiery exchange unfolded on Piers Morgan’s show on Tuesday as Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, clashed with former Canadian MP Goldie Ghamari over allegations of Christian persecution in Nigeria.
Tuggar appeared on the program to address claims of systematic killings, challenge statistics, and provide context on Nigeria’s security issues.
Morgan opened the discussion by citing figures from the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law, which alleged that over 50,000 Christians have been killed and 18,000 churches destroyed in Nigeria since 2009.
Tuggar dismissed these figures as exaggerated and misleading, stating that the Nigerian government does not categorize victims by religion, treating all casualties as Nigerians. He further claimed that in the last five years, official records show 177 Christians killed and 102 churches attacked.
The conversation grew more heated when Ghamari joined the discussion, describing Nigeria’s insecurity as a form of jihad and linking it to the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel.
She alleged that the shared Islamic faith of President Bola Tinubu and Vice-President Kashim Shettima indicated an Islamist agenda, accusing the Nigerian government of ties to Iran.
Ghamari labeled Tuggar’s responses as dishonest, saying, “Shame on him for lying.”
Tuggar fired back, calling her remarks ignorant and accusing her of exploiting Nigerian lives from afar.
He argued that Nigerians prioritize regional balance over religious identity, noting Tinubu is from the south and Shettima from the north.
He also condemned extremist attacks, recounting the personal loss of his father-in-law to Boko Haram, emphasizing that the group targets both Christians and Muslims who oppose its ideology.
When Ghamari insisted there was ethnic cleansing of Christians in Nigeria, Tuggar accused her of fueling conflict for political or financial gain, likening her rhetoric to efforts that led to Sudan’s division.
He described her as detached from Nigeria’s realities and dismissed her as a “disgrace” to Canada, accusing her of trying to destabilize Africa’s largest democracy.
The interview ended without resolution, leaving viewers divided on the contentious debate and the broader issue of religious violence in Nigeria.
