Odita Sunday 
HURIWA Debunks New York Times Report On Alleged Christian Genocide, Faults $9m Lobbying Spend
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has dismissed as misleading and propagandist a report attributed to The New York Times on allegations of genocide against Christians in Nigeria, accusing the Federal Government of wasting $9 million on what it described as “empty international
propaganda.”
In a statement issued on Monday, January 19, 2026, by Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko, National Coordinator of the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, HURIWA said the report, as circulated by sections of the Nigerian media, falsely portrayed a civil society activist in Onitsha, Anambra State, as the primary source of information used by the United States to assess claims of targeted killings of Christians in Nigeria.
The group described the narrative as a deliberate attempt to discredit Mr. Emeka Umeagbalasi, Executive Director of the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety), whom it said is widely respected within Nigeria’s civil society space.
HURIWA alleged that the report was linked to a $9 million lobbying contract purportedly entered into by the Nigerian government to influence perceptions in the United States.
According to HURIWA, media reports indicate that the lobbying arrangement was filed with the United States Department of Justice and involved Aster Legal, a Kaduna-based law firm, and DCI Group, an American lobbying firm.
The advocacy group said the contract, reportedly signed on December 17, 2025, was executed on behalf of the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu. Under the agreement, DCI Group was expected to assist the Nigerian government in communicating its actions to protect Christian communities and sustain U.S. support in countering jihadist groups in West Africa.
HURIWA questioned the rationale behind the expenditure, noting that the same government had repeatedly downplayed claims that Christians were being specifically targeted by violent extremist groups.
Reacting to the New York Times report, HURIWA, through its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko, rejected claims that U.S. actions or policies were based solely on information provided by Mr. Umeagbalasi, whom the report described as a small-scale trader who also runs a civil society organisation from his home.
The organisation stressed that reports of attacks on Christian communities in Nigeria have been consistently documented by Nigerian and international media, citing incidents such as the 2022 attack on worshippers at a Catholic church in Owo, Ondo State, which is currently the subject of prosecution by security agencies.
HURIWA also recalled that several Christian leaders, including the Catholic Bishop of Makurdi Diocese, Most Rev. Wilfred Chikpa Anagbe, had given testimonies before panels of the United States Congress on the security situation in Nigeria. It added that U.S. congressional delegations had visited affected communities in northern Nigeria and interviewed survivors of attacks on churches.
The group maintained that claims of widespread violence against Christian communities did not originate from a single individual, insisting that such reports are corroborated by multiple credible sources, including victims, religious leaders, and security briefings.
HURIWA concluded that efforts to downplay or discredit reports of killings and abductions of Christians amounted to a failed propaganda campaign, urging the government to focus public resources on improving security rather than on what it described as costly image management abroad.
About the Author
