A prominent Nigerian pastor publicly condemns local media for burying coverage of a deadly US airstrike, exposing a pattern of underreporting on attacks targeting Christians.
Apostle Emmanuel Iren, founder of Celebration Church International, ignited widespread debate on Friday when he accused
Nigerian media outlets of minimizing the significance of a US-led airstrike against ISIS militants in Sokoto State.
Iren shared his frustration in a viral X post, claiming journalists prioritized “cover-ups” over truthful reporting on the December 25 operation, which President Donald Trump framed as retaliation for assaults on Christian communities.
“The media’s silence screams louder than the bombs,” Iren wrote, urging greater transparency to address what he described as an unfolding genocide.
The airstrike, executed by US Africa Command in coordination with Nigerian forces, struck terrorist hideouts in northwest Nigeria’s Sokoto region, killing several militants with no confirmed civilian casualties.
Trump announced the action on X, linking it directly to recent killings of Christians, stating it avenged “attacks primarily on Christian communities.”
However, analysts quickly pointed out a geographical disconnect.
The airstrike targeted ISIS-affiliated groups in predominantly Muslim Sokoto, while the referenced pre-Christmas violence unfolded hundreds of miles away in Benue and Plateau states, where jihadists slaughtered at least 20 Christians in coordinated raids.
Meanwhile, survivors and advocacy groups amplified Iren’s critique, arguing that underreporting perpetuates the crisis.
In Benue, Fulani militants ambushed villagers returning from church services, leaving families shattered and communities in fear just days before Christmas.
Equipping the Persecuted, a missionary organization, reported that Nigerian authorities ignored advance warnings of these attacks, allowing jihadists to strike unchecked.
“Over 7,800 Christians have died this year alone, yet the government enables the terrorists,” one activist posted on X, echoing a chorus of online voices decrying media complicity.
Furthermore, social media users highlighted selective framing in Nigerian journalism.
Senator Shehu Sani noted on X that attacks in the north receive labels like “bandits” or “terrorists,” while similar violence elsewhere earns vague terms such as “armed hoodlums,” diluting accountability.
In Plateau, abductions from churches compounded the terror, with 13 worshippers kidnapped in Kogi State amid rising insecurity.
International observers, including the BBC and Al Jazeera, finally covered the airstrike but questioned Trump’s religious framing, emphasizing that Nigeria’s violence stems from complex factors like banditry and ethnic clashes, not solely anti-Christian motives.
Yet, as Iren’s post garnered over 800 views and sparked replies, it underscored a deeper issue: global silence.
X users like Deacon Nick Donnelly lambasted Western media for ignoring Nigerian Christians, calling them “disposable” in the face of Islamist threats.
Advocacy groups estimate thousands of churches destroyed since 2009, with 3,000 faith-based killings in 2025 alone.
In response, some Nigerians muted Christmas celebrations out of fear, while others demanded action from Bola Tinubu’s administration.
In the end, Iren’s outcry not only spotlights the airstrike but also forces a reckoning with media’s role in obscuring human suffering.
As one X post warned, “The narrative shifts when it suits, but the bloodstains remain.”
With tensions simmering, experts call for urgent international intervention to halt the cycle of violence and ensure accurate reporting lights the path to justice.
