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The Christian Social Movement of Nigeria (CSMN) has defended former President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Ayo Oritsejafor, accusing the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) of deliberately misrepresenting his comments on insecurity and attempting to divert attention from Nigeria's security crisis.
In a statement issued on Friday and signed by its Chief Executive Officer and Executive Secretary, Bosun Emmanuel, the organisation described the NSCIA's response to Oritsejafor's remarks as misleading and maintained that the cleric's comments had been taken out of context.
The CSMN also criticised the Islamic body's earlier warning to the Federal Government that Muslims could "run out of patience" if insecurity was not addressed, describing the statement as provocative and inappropriate given the country's security challenges.
According to the group, rather than expressing outrage over Oritsejafor's comments, the NSCIA should have focused on condemning violent extremist groups responsible for years of killings, kidnappings and destruction across the country.
"The Christian Social Movement of Nigeria is shocked at the impudence of the NSCIA in alleging injury and offense at a supposed wrongful profiling of the Muslim faith," the statement said.
"It would have been more appropriate for the NSCIA to apologise to Nigerians, especially the Christian community, for the destruction that Islamic insurgents have caused in the country."
Defending Oritsejafor, the organisation insisted that he never claimed that "90 to 95 per cent of criminals are Muslims," as attributed to him by the NSCIA. Instead, it said the former CAN president was referring specifically to those responsible for acts of insecurity.
The group quoted Oritsejafor as saying: "When you look at insecurity in Nigeria today, I would tell you that 99.9 per cent of those who are practising and making this thing thrive are Muslims, not Christians."
According to the CSMN, replacing the word "insecurity" with "criminals" amounted to a deliberate distortion intended to inflame religious sentiments.
"The NSCIA spokesman deliberately twisted that statement to incite the gullible. He deliberately avoided quoting the word 'insecurity,' preferring 'criminals' instead," the statement added.
The movement argued that Oritsejafor's remarks should be understood within the context of terrorism and insurgency rather than as a blanket condemnation of Muslims.
It further contended that many of the armed groups responsible for violent attacks in Nigeria profess Islamic beliefs and urged the leadership of the NSCIA to publicly denounce such acts.
The CSMN also criticised the President-General of the NSCIA, Sa'ad Abubakar, saying the Islamic leadership should play a more active role in encouraging peace and discouraging violence.
The group also dismissed the NSCIA's reference to a suspect allegedly identified as a Christian pastor in connection with the kidnapping of schoolchildren and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, questioning the credibility of the claim.
It argued that demands reportedly made by the kidnappers, including the implementation of Sharia law and the release of arrested terrorist suspects, were inconsistent with Christian teachings.
Calling for government intervention, the CSMN urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to engage religious leaders in tackling insecurity and preventing further escalation of tensions.
"The Christian community has been patient under intensive provocation, and the mischievous distortion of narratives should not continue to be tolerated," the statement said.
The organisation concluded by calling for renewed collaboration between government and religious leaders to promote peace, national unity and decisive action against terrorism and violent extremism across the country.