President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has rejected claims of religious persecution in Nigeria, describing them as “a lie from the pit of hell.”

The President made the remark on Tuesday while inaugurating development projects and launching a book authored by Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma in Owerri.

“They lie all over the place that we have religious persecution. Our Muslim brothers and sisters, our Christian brothers and sisters are united. No religious persecution in Nigeria, it is a lie from the pit of hell,” Tinubu declared.

His comments come in response to allegations by American comedian and political commentator, Bill Maher, who recently claimed that Christians in Nigeria are being systematically targeted. 

Maher alleged that more than 100,000 Christians have been killed since 2009 and about 18,000 churches destroyed by Islamist groups, describing the situation as “genocide.”

Tinubu, however, dismissed the assertions, stressing that Nigeria remains a united nation where citizens of different faiths coexist peacefully.