The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has reaffirmed its long-held position that Christians in parts of the country are facing genocide, backing recent remarks by U.S. Senator Ted Cruz.
In a statement issued on Wednesday and signed by its President, Archbishop Daniel Okoh, CAN accused the Bola Tinubu-led presidency of misrepresenting its position following a visit by presidential aide, Barrister Daniel Bwala, to the CAN Secretariat in Abuja.
The association said it was “compelled to set the record straight” after a statement allegedly released by the Presidency claimed that CAN had dismissed reports of Christian persecution as a “so-called genocide.”
According to CAN, Bwala’s visit was intended to seek clarification on the association’s position regarding Senator Cruz’s comments during a U.S. Senate hearing on religious freedom, where the American lawmaker described ongoing killings of Christians in Nigeria as “a Christian genocide.”
CAN stated that Bwala argued that both Christians and Muslims had suffered from insecurity, noting that the Tinubu administration inherited a longstanding crisis and was working to address it.
However, the Christian body expressed “shock and alarm” when it later saw a report titled “Presidency Debunks Western Christian Genocide Narrative in Dialogue with CAN Leadership.”
“The report falsely suggested that the CAN President, Archbishop Daniel Okoh, dismissed or downplayed the ongoing killings by describing them as a ‘so-called Christian genocide.’ That portrayal is completely false and grossly unfair,” the statement read.
CAN stressed that violence against Christians in Northern Nigeria and the Middle Belt has followed a systematic and organized pattern for years.
It said thousands have been killed, communities destroyed, and families displaced in repeated attacks that have rarely been prosecuted.
“These are not isolated crimes but a continuing pattern of violence that has persisted for years without justice or closure,” the statement added.
The association also revealed that its meeting with Bwala was recorded by its media team.
At no point, it said, did Archbishop Okoh describe the killings as a “so-called genocide.”
“Referring to the tragedy as a ‘so-called genocide’ trivializes the pain of countless Christians who have lost loved ones, homes, and places of worship in targeted attacks,” CAN maintained.
During the meeting, CAN’s Director of Planning, Research and Strategy, Bishop Mike Akpami, reportedly presented verified data from orfa.africa showing consistent, targeted assaults on Christian populations across Africa, particularly in Nigeria.
CAN clarified that some names listed in media reports including Rev. Dr. Uzoaku Williams and Dr. Celestine Aharanwa were not present during the meeting.
The association called on the Nigerian government and security agencies to take decisive and transparent action to end the killings and ensure justice for victims.
It also urged government officials and journalists to report religious violence truthfully and sensitively.
CAN’s strong statement comes days after Senator Ted Cruz described Nigeria’s situation as a “Christian genocide,” accusing successive governments of failing to protect minority Christians from Islamist militias, Boko Haram insurgents, and armed herdsmen.
“Christians in Nigeria are being slaughtered because of their faith.
This is not random violence, it is systematic extermination,” Cruz said, urging the U.S. State Department to re-designate Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern.”
CAN’s position marks one of its strongest endorsements yet of foreign advocacy for persecuted Christians, deepening a growing divide between official government narratives and ground realities of religious violence.