From Onitsha Market to Oval Office: The Screwdriver Guy Who Humiliated Tinubu and Forced Trump to Strike Jihadists

From Onitsha Market to Oval Office: The Screwdriver Guy Who Humiliated Tinubu and Forced Trump to Strike Jihadists In a brazen display of jo...

From Onitsha Market to Oval Office: The Screwdriver Guy Who Humiliated Tinubu and Forced Trump to Strike Jihadists

In a brazen display of journalistic malpractice, The New York Times has repeatedly downplayed and dismissed the escalating slaughter of Christians in Nigeria as mere "land disputes" or "complex violence," refusing to acknowledge it for what it is: a systematic genocide fueled by Islamist extremism. Their headlines, like "Trump Says Violence Against Christians in Nigeria Is 'Genocide.' It's Not So Simple," and "Nigeria Resists Christian 'Mass Murder' Claims," echo the Nigerian government's denialism, framing the crisis as anything but targeted religious persecution. This isn't balanced reporting it's complicity in obscuring the truth, allowing thousands more innocents to die while the world looks away. But the voices of survivors, watchdog organizations, and global leaders are rising, piercing through the fog of denial, and exposing how President Bola Tinubu's regime is squandering taxpayer millions to whitewash the bloodbath rather than stop it.

The facts are undeniable and horrifying. Since 2009, over 125,000 Christians have been murdered in Nigeria by jihadist groups like Boko Haram, ISWAP (Islamic State West Africa Province), and Fulani militants, with more than 19,000 churches burned to the ground and 15 million people mostly Christians displaced. In 2025 alone, at least 7,000 Christians were killed in the first eight months, averaging 32-35 deaths per day. Open Doors, a leading organization tracking Christian persecution, ranks Nigeria as the deadliest place on Earth for believers, where Christians are 6.5 times more likely to be killed than others. These aren't random clashes; they are deliberate campaigns of terror, with entire Christian communities seized and occupied by jihadists, ignored by the government.

A chorus of voices has amplified this crisis, refusing to let it be buried under euphemisms. President Donald Trump, in a bold move, redesignated Nigeria as a "Country of Particular Concern" for religious freedom violations and ordered U.S. airstrikes on Christmas Day 2025 against Islamist targets in northwest Nigeria, framing them as a direct response to the "existential threat" to Christianity. Even secular figures like comedian Bill Maher have called it out, decrying the "systematic killing" of over 100,000 Christians since 2009 and the burning of 18,000 churches, questioning why protesters fixate on Gaza while ignoring this far larger atrocity. U.S. Senator Ted Cruz has condemned the "mass murder of Christians," citing over 50,000 deaths and the destruction of 18,000 churches and 2,000 schools. International bodies like Genocide Watch's Gregory Stanton, the UK's All Party Parliamentary Group (which titled a report "Nigeria: Unfolding Genocide?"), and the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom have warned of impending or actual genocide. Pope Leo XIV has prayed for the "relentless victims" in Benue State, while Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch document the targeted abductions, beheadings, and forced conversions.

Direct survivors' testimonies paint a visceral picture of the horror. In Benue State, the epicenter of the violence, women have recounted losing entire families to Fulani militants who slaughter villagers, abduct children, and raze homes. One survivor from Yelewata described the massacre of 280 Christians in a single attack, while another from Sankera spoke of 72 lives lost in a day of terror. Nigerian lawyer Franc Utoo, himself a survivor from the Tiv ethnic group, testified before the U.S. Congress that his community is "the epicenter of the genocide," with over 1,100 killed in Benue alone in recent months. These aren't abstract statistics they are cries from the ground, ignored by The New York Times in favor of narratives that equate Christian farmers' self-defense with aggressors' jihad.

U.S. Congressman Riley Moore, whose fact-finding mission to Nigeria in late 2025 laid bare the regime's complicity. Leading a congressional delegation, Moore heard firsthand accounts from survivors, including women who had lost husbands and children to Islamist attacks. He revealed staggering figures: 50,000 -100,000 Christians murdered since 2009, with 7,000 killed in 2025 alone an average of 35 per day and 19,000 churches destroyed. Moore condemned the violence as "bordering on genocide," accusing Nigerian leaders of being "complicit" and dismissing President Tinubu's denials as "completely false" to protect his own interests. His resolution in Congress calls for immediate action to halt the "horrific persecution," amplifying survivors' voices and countering the disinformation peddled by Abuja.

Ironically, one key figure behind the data fueling Trump's airstrikes and Moore's investigation is Emeka Umeagbalasi, a humble screwdriver salesman from Onitsha who founded the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety). His meticulously documented reports on jihadist atrocities detailing 125,000 Christian deaths and 19,100 churches torched have been cited by U.S. lawmakers, exposing the crisis despite attempts to discredit him as an "unlikely source." Umeagbalasi's work, far from "unverified claims," has been corroborated by multiple independent sources, proving that truth can emerge from the most unexpected places.

Yet, instead of heeding these alarms and deploying resources to protect its citizens, Tinubu's government has funneled $9 million in taxpayer funds to U.S. lobbying firm DCI Group to "communicate Christian protection efforts" and counter the genocide narrative. This shadowy deal, executed through a pop-up law firm linked to Nigeria's National Security Adviser, reeks of desperation: a monthly lobbying blitz to polish Abuja's image amid airstrikes and international scrutiny. Critics, including opposition parties like the African Democratic Congress, slam it as "indefensible" and a "scandalous" misuse of funds while Nigerians starve and insecurity rages. Tinubu's regime denies any genocide, insisting violence affects all faiths equally but data shows Christians are disproportionately targeted. Why spend billions of naira (equivalent to $9 million) on Washington spin doctors instead of arming security forces, aiding displaced families, or prosecuting perpetrators? It's a damning indictment: Tinubu prioritizes covering up murders over saving lives, outsourcing diplomacy to lobbyists while leaving key ambassadorial posts vacant.

The New York Times's downplaying of this genocide not only misinforms the public but emboldens enablers like Tinubu. As Trump’s airstrikes signal a turning point, the world must demand accountability. No more excuses, no more lobbying dollars to hide the truth. The blood of Nigeria's Christians cries out for justice.

Article written by Family Writers Press International.