The Senate on Tuesday constituted a 12-member ad-hoc committee to
advise the legislature on how to respond to growing international concerns
over alleged state-backed persecution of Christians in Nigeria.
The decision was reached during a closed door session, where lawmakers
deliberated on recent claims by the United States Government suggesting
possible acts of genocide targeting Christians in some parts of the country.
The Senate’s move follows increasing diplomatic scrutiny and the potential
implications of such allegations on Nigeria’s international reputation and
interfaith relations.
The committee has been tasked with developing a comprehensive position
paper for presentation to both the Executive and the Senate.
The team is expected to come up with a document that would shape
Nigeria’s legislative stance on the matter and guide its engagement in
ongoing international discussions.
The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, who made the declaration,
noted that the position paper must be backed with verifiable facts and
statistics.
Earlier, the upper chamber resolved to engage with the United States
Congress to address and counter what it described as misleading
narratives portraying the country’s security challenges as a Christian
genocide.
