The Nigerian Presidency has stated that claims of a “Christian genocide” in the country were falsely propagated by members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

A recent New York Times report highlighted that Emeka Umeagbalasi, a trader and leader of the Onitsha-based NGO Intersociety, played a central role in spreading the genocide narrative, which influenced actions by former US President Donald Trump and some US lawmakers.

Responding to the report, President Bola Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, said the facts are now becoming clear. On his official X account, Bwala emphasized that he had earlier identified IPOB as the source of the narrative.

He stated, “I said it early, and I said it clearly. In August 2025, during my first interview on TVC, I warned that the so-called ‘Christian Genocide’ narrative was a deliberate hoax, pushed by IPOB. This was long before my media engagements and advocacy tours across the US, France, and the UK, where I consistently presented facts to counter misinformation being fed to the international community.”

Bwala added that the New York Times’ investigation traced the false narrative to claims linked to Umeagbalasi, showing how conjecture and bias were amplified as reports. “Facts are stubborn,” he said. “Let it be known to all that these formed the basis upon which the US Senators and Congress members formed their opinion and convinced the POTUS to designate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern. Propaganda may travel fast, but the truth always catches up.”