More Muslims Killed in Nigeria Than Christians — MACBAN

The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) has stirred nationwide debate after its National President, Baba Othman Ngelzarma, declared that more Muslims have died in violent attacks across the North-West than Christians in the Middle Belt.

The national president made the claim while speaking on a television programme on Friday.

Ngelzarma said the situation has been misrepresented for years. He explained that the crisis varies from one region to another and warned against interpreting every attack as a campaign against Christians.

According to him, the headline narratives do not reflect the wider realities on the ground.
He dismissed the idea of a deliberate religious agenda, saying the conflict is shaped by many factors.

Othman Ngelzarma mentioned ethnicity, grazing disputes, and long-standing community battles as drivers of the killings.

“There are reports and allegations of violence and persecution of Christians in Nigeria, but in my own view, I don’t see it as a Christian genocide because the crisis differs from place to place, depending on where it is taking place”.

Ngelzarma recalled several past incidents to support his position. He pointed to the 2017 violence in Sardauna Local Government Area of Taraba State, describing how “over 700 pastoralists were killed in two days.” He said the episode was the result of a farmer-herder confrontation that turned deadly.

MACBAN president also linked the situation in Benue to the introduction of the anti-open grazing law in 2014.

He noted that since the state is overwhelmingly Christian, clashes automatically record more Christian deaths.

“There are killings on the Christian side more than the Muslim side in Benue,” he said, adding that poor enforcement of the grazing law intensified hostilities.

On Plateau, he described the conflict as a deep-rooted struggle between indigenes and settlers. He insisted it should not be reduced to a faith-based war.

“In Plateau, it has a long history of religious conflict, but after that, the fight went into the forest, and the indigenes of Plateau started killing pastoralists. It is not a Christian–Muslim issue,” he said, blaming the present government for the rise in killings in Mangu.

Ngelzarma also addressed Boko Haram’s insurgency. He argued that despite global focus on Christian casualties, the group’s attacks overwhelmingly affected Muslims.

“Boko Haram… killed many Muslims. 90% were all Muslims, but what has been highlighted are the Chibok girls because Chibok is a Christian community. The majority of the girls who were taken in Dapchi are Muslims,” he stated.
He then turned attention to the North-West.

Ngelzarma said violent deaths in Zamfara and Katsina far outnumber those recorded in Middle Belt communities, stressing that the conflict is often “Muslims versus Muslims.”

He urged Nigerians to stop framing the crisis along a single religious line. “The situation with Nigeria is complex… If you call it anything, then call it genocide against humanity,” he said.