Shari’ah council calls for prosecution of Bishop spreading falsehood on Islamisation
The Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria (SCSN) and the Muslim Public Affairs Centre (MPAC) have called for the arrest and prosecution of a Bishop in Makurdi, Wilfred Chikpa Anagbe, who has been spreading falsehood abroad on a purported Islamisation and killing of Christians in Nigeria.
In separate statements by Dr. Nafiu Baba-Ahmad, SCSN Secretary General and Disu Kamor, Executive Chairman of MPAC, the organisations said that the federal government should investigate and prosecute the bishop, who is clearly a conflict merchant.
They contended that Anagbe’s false claims were clearly meant to cause crisis in the country.
The Bishop has falsely told the US House Foreign Affairs Committee, Africa Subcommittee, on 12th March, 2025 in the US, that Christians in Benue and other parts of the country were being killed indiscriminately and schools shut in 12 states of northern Nigeria during the ongoing Ramadan fasting as part of Islamisation agenda of the country.
The SCSN scribe noted that the Catholic priest also propagated hateful rhetoric and blatant falsehoods which were embarrassing to the Nigerian government and of concern to all law-abiding citizens.
Dr. Baba-Ahmad said the bishop’s claim that “2% of Fulani (Islamists) have taken over lands occupied by 98% Christians” is not only false but misleading.
“His (Anagbe) insinuation that the Nigerian government is complicit effectively suggests that the current Governor of Benue State, himself a Catholic priest, is part of the alleged conspiracy.
“This is a profoundly reckless and unfounded accusation against the very institutions responsible for governance, implying not only the complicity of the Federal Governments, and that even a Christian priest-governor is involved.
“Clearly the bishop has exposed the contradictions and malicious intent behind his claims, which appear to be deliberately aimed at fostering distrust and inciting religious tensions.
“The council remains committed to countering the malicious lies of conflict merchants who, under the guise of religious leadership, seek to sow seeds of discord and fuel violence in our fragile nation.
“Even in places where flags of Islamophobia are allowed to blossom, the world is a lot wiser and no longer a place where falsehoods can thrive unchallenged, as facts are verifiable at the click of a button.
“For instance, recent reports from multiple credible sources, including the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), the Global Terrorism Index, and even Christian organizations such as the East-West Christian Association, paint a more accurate picture of Nigeria’s security challenges.
“These reports emphasize that the country’s insecurity crisis is a complex interplay of insurgency, banditry, and ethnic conflicts affecting all communities. The violence does not exclusively target Christians; rather, both Christian and Muslim civilians are victims of these challenges.
“Evidence suggests that factors such as insurgency, economic disparities, ethnic conflicts, and organized crime significantly contribute to the unrest. The overarching pattern points to a broader anti-state agenda rather than a purely religious conflict,” Baba-Ahmad said.
He urged the Nigerian Christian community to dissociate itself from such inflammatory rhetoric and actively debunk these dangerous lies.
The SSCN scribe said that religious leaders have a responsibility to promote peace, not division, adding that silence in the face of such blatant misinformation only serves to embolden those who seek to destabilize the nation, and suggests a strong indication of criminal complicity.
On his part, Disu Kamor said that Anagbe’s claims were outrageous and false.
He wondered how Benue State, which is governed almost entirely by Christians, with 98% Christian population according to the Bishop, will be under existential threat from “Islamist extremists”.
Kamor said that the bishop in illogically implying that 2% of the Benue population, is terrorizing, and posing existential threat to the 98% of the population that is totally in control of all the aspects of the state, including resources and security apparatus.
