Intersociety Slams New York Times Over Alleged Fake Christian Genocide Report

According to Ireporter Online, the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) has accused the New York Times of distorting facts and falsely attributing statements to its founder, Emeka Umeagbalasi, in a recent report on alleged persecution of Christians in Nigeria.

The rights organisation expressed shock and deep disappointment over what it described as a publication riddled with falsehoods, following a report released on Sunday by the United States-based newspaper. Intersociety faulted the report for allegedly misquoting its founder and presenting claims it insists were never made during an interview conducted at his residence in Onitsha.

The New York Times had claimed that Umeagbalasi admitted to frequently failing to verify his data and relying largely on secondary sources such as Christian advocacy groups, Nigerian media reports and internet searches. It further alleged that he stated that 125,000 Christians had been killed in Nigeria since 2009, that the country had about 100,000 churches, and that nearly 20,000 churches had been destroyed over the past 16 years.

The newspaper also reported that Umeagbalasi wrongly asserted that schoolgirls abducted in Kebbi State were predominantly Christians, despite official accounts identifying them as Muslims. Additionally, it alleged that he described Fulani people as “animals” and suggested confining them to a single state, a position the paper characterised as resembling ethnic cleansing.

In a statement released on Monday and jointly signed by Umeagbalasi and other Intersociety officials, the organisation rejected the allegations, maintaining that several statements credited to its leadership were never uttered during the interview, which it said lasted more than three hours.

Intersociety specifically denied the claim that its founder admitted to not verifying data, explaining that its research process combines primary and secondary sources, including field investigations and third-party verification. The group clarified that it did not state that nearly 20,000 churches were destroyed, but rather that about 19,100 churches were attacked or destroyed between 2009 and 2025.

It added that its reference to Nigeria having roughly 100,000 churches was made only in passing and was based on estimates as of 2021, noting that a fraction of these churches were affected by attacks allegedly linked to Islamist groups. The organisation also dismissed claims that it relies solely on internet searches, stating that it works with trained volunteers and field researchers who document incidents nationwide in line with international standards.

Responding to assertions that many victims of Boko Haram were Muslims, Intersociety described the claim as inaccurate, arguing that available data from earlier years of the insurgency indicate that Christians accounted for a significant proportion of the victims.

On the issue of the abducted Kebbi schoolgirls, the group said it never claimed that most of the victims were Christians, but only suggested that some Christians could be among them, given that the school was a government institution located in an area with an indigenous Christian population.

Intersociety also denied ever referring to Fulani people as animals or advocating their confinement. It explained that the matter arose during a discussion on cattle ranching policies, where it suggested that Niger State could be developed into a modern cattle and dairy hub if the Federal Government was serious about ranching reforms. The group said this position was misinterpreted and taken out of context.

The organisation has called on the New York Times to issue corrections to what it described as damaging misrepresentations, while reaffirming its commitment to human rights documentation and advocacy.