The Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria (SCSN) and the Muslim Public Affairs Centre (MPAC) have strongly criticised Bishop Wilfred Chikpa Anagbe, the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Makurdi in Benue State, for what they described as false and inflammatory claims about Islamisation and the killing of Christians in Nigeria.
In statements issued by Dr. Nafiu Baba-Ahmad, Secretary General of the SCSN, and Disu Kamor, Executive Chairman of MPAC, the organizations condemned the bishop’s remarks and called for an investigation and prosecution by the Nigerian government to prevent further attempts to incite division and unrest in the country.
Bishop Anagbe made the controversial statements during a session with the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee’s Africa Subcommittee on March 12, 2025.
He alleged that Christians, particularly in Benue State and other northern regions, were being systematically targeted and killed, and that schools in 12 northern states had been closed during Ramadan as part of a wider agenda to Islamize Nigeria.
Responding to the bishop’s remarks, Dr. Baba-Ahmad accused the Catholic leader of spreading baseless and harmful rhetoric. He pointed out that Anagbe’s accusations were not only misleading but also damaging to the peaceful coexistence of Nigeria’s diverse communities.
“The bishop’s claim that 2% of Fulani Islamists have seized land from 98% of Christians is utterly false and harmful,” Baba-Ahmad stated, adding that the remarks could provoke unnecessary fear and tensions between religious groups.
The SCSN leader further criticized the bishop for insinuating that the Nigerian government, including the Catholic Governor of Benue State, was complicit in these supposed actions.
“By suggesting that even a Catholic priest-governor is part of this alleged conspiracy, the bishop is irresponsibly sowing discord,” Baba-Ahmad said. He emphasized that the narrative presented by Anagbe was not only misleading but a deliberate attempt to stoke distrust and exacerbate religious divisions in the country.
Baba-Ahmad also pointed out that recent reports from credible sources, including the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED) and the Global Terrorism Index, provide a more accurate understanding of the security situation in Nigeria.
These reports show that the country’s challenges are rooted in a complex mix of insurgency, banditry, ethnic conflicts, and organized crime—issues that affect both Muslim and Christian communities alike.
“Violence in Nigeria is not solely driven by religion but by a wider set of factors that impact all Nigerians, irrespective of their faith. The bishop’s claims are a distortion of these realities,” Baba-Ahmad explained.
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He called on the Christian community in Nigeria to reject the bishop’s divisive narrative and work together to counter such falsehoods.
“Religious leaders must work towards peace, not division,” he said. “Failure to do so, or remaining silent in the face of these dangerous lies, is tantamount to enabling those who seek to destabilize our nation.”
Disu Kamor, from MPAC, echoed similar concerns, labeling the bishop’s allegations as baseless and dangerous. He criticized the claim that a 2% minority of the population could pose an existential threat to the 98% Christian-majority population of Benue State, which is predominantly governed by Christians.
Kamor argued that this illogical accusation undermines the reality of Benue’s governance and security structures, which are controlled by Christians, including the governor.
Both organizations called for immediate action from the Nigerian government to investigate the bishop’s statements and to take appropriate legal measures to prevent further dissemination of such harmful narratives that threaten national unity.
 and the Muslim Public Affairs Centre (MPAC) have strongly criticised Bishop Wilfred Chikpa Anagbe, the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Makurdi in Benue State, for what they described as false and inflammatory claims about Islamisation and the killing of Christians in Nigeria.){kind=link}