Nigerian Foreign Minister Clashes with Piers Morgan, Challenges Casualty Figures

Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, engaged in a fiery confrontation on the Piers Morgan Show on Tuesday, vigorously challenging allegations of systematic, targeted attacks against Christians in Nigeria. The Minister made a highly specific numerical counter-claim, asserting that, based on verified government records, only 177 Christians have been killed and 102 churches attacked in the last five years across the country.

Tuggar’s appearance was primarily driven by a need to refute significantly higher casualty figures presented by civil society groups. Specifically, he disputed the statistics published by the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety), which claims that more than 50,000 Christians have been killed and 18,000 churches destroyed in Nigeria since 2009. The Minister rejected these statistics as inaccurate and fundamentally flawed, stressing the government’s official stance that it does not classify casualties by religion. When pressed for alternative figures, Tuggar offered the government’s verified numbers, insisting they reflect the most accurate records available.

The tension on the show escalated sharply with the introduction of former Canadian Member of Parliament, Ghamari, into the discussion. Ghamari immediately framed the insecurity in Nigeria as a form of “jihad” and drew a provocative parallel between the violence and the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel. She further suggested that the shared Islamic faith of President Bola Tinubu and Vice-President Kashim Shettima was indicative of an “Islamist” government that was actively enabling the violence against Christians.

Ghamari did not stop there, leveling serious, unverified accusations regarding Nigeria’s international ties. She alleged that the Nigerian government was working closely “behind the scenes” with the Islamic Republic of Iran. As evidence, she claimed that schoolchildren in Nigeria had been seen holding photos of the Iranian Ayatollah, whom she described as a brutal dictator. She challenged Minister Tuggar directly: “You should ask the foreign minister why Nigerian schoolchildren are holding pictures of the Ayatollah, who is a brutal dictator and is murdering my people in Iran.” She concluded her remarks by labeling Tuggar a liar, claiming he was actively “avoiding the truth” and demanding that people investigate the alleged linkages between the current Nigerian government and the Islamic Republic of Iran. “I can tell when someone is lying and avoiding the truth. That’s exactly what this foreign minister is doing, and shame on him for lying,” she asserted.

Minister Tuggar fired back, rejecting Ghamari’s comments as both ignorant and dangerous. He accused her of making inflammatory claims from a position of distance, without any real understanding of Nigeria’s complex, diverse realities. The Minister argued that Nigerians typically focus more on regional balance than on religious affiliation when selecting political leadership.

Tuggar attempted to inject personal credibility into his argument by disclosing that he himself had lost his father-in-law to Boko Haram, emphasizing that extremist groups like Boko Haram do not discriminate but target both Christians and Muslims who reject the group’s extremist ideology. He insisted that the primary victims of Boko Haram’s violence are, in fact, Muslims. Ghamari, however, maintained her position, arguing that attacks on Muslims do not in any way negate what she described as the “targeted ethnic cleansing” of Christians across the country.

The confrontation reached its peak as Tuggar accused Ghamari of pushing divisive narratives intended to fuel conflict and attempting to portray Nigeria as a nation on the verge of disintegration. He suggested she was part of a broader, external effort to fracture African countries, citing the situation in Sudan as an example of such external interference. The Minister staunchly defended Nigeria’s record as Africa’s largest democracy and a haven for migrants, underscoring its diverse religious freedoms. He concluded by calling Ghamari “a disgrace” and fiercely urged her to stop promoting narratives that could endanger Nigeria’s stability. “It’s not going to happen to Nigeria. Move on to your next project. You’re a disgrace. You’re a disgrace to the Canadian nation. I’m shocked that you say that you actually practice as a politician in Canada. Move on to the next episode. Leave us alone,” the Minister concluded.