Once a beneficiary of Amnesty’s advocacy, Sharif has since become a vocal critic, leading what appears to be a wider effort to discredit the international human rights group.

A coordinated propaganda campaign has been launched against Amnesty International (AI) following the release of its recent report detailing the killings in Nigeria’s Plateau and Benue states, SaharaReporters has learnt.

Sources told SaharaReporters that this is part of a broader propaganda campaign targeting the international human rights organisation.

Since the release of its report last week detailing unchecked killings in Plateau and Benue states, there has been a coordinated effort, said to be led by government officials, featuring influencers like Dan Bello, Arewa Mufarka, Sharfaddeen Bature and others who have launched an aggressive propaganda offensive against Amnesty International.

Nastura Ashir Sharif, a northern Nigerian man who once benefited from Amnesty International’s support after his arrest and detention for speaking out, is now involved in a campaign against the organisation.

Sharif had been detained for several days following a peaceful protest in Katsina State, where he voiced concerns about critical issues affecting citizens, including the wave of student kidnappings in the north-western states. After his arrest, he was transferred to Abuja and held in detention.

Once a beneficiary of Amnesty’s advocacy, Sharif has since become a vocal critic, leading what appears to be a wider effort to discredit the international human rights group.

Amnesty International’s recent report detailing rising violence and mass killings in Nigeria’s Middle Belt region has sparked backlash from various political and community leaders, especially in northern Nigeria.

Back in 2020, Amnesty International called on Nigerian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Sharif, who had been detained for defending the right to life and demanding an end to worsening insecurity in northern Nigeria.

At the time, Amnesty International stated that Sharif was simply urging the authorities to fulfill their responsibilities, and his arrest was viewed as an attempt to intimidate and silence peaceful advocates for freedom of assembly and expression.

However, Sharif, who once benefited from Amnesty’s intervention, has now become an outspoken critic of the organization.

Commenting on Amnesty International’s recent report on killings in Benue and Plateau states in an interview with DCL Hausa, a Kaduna-based broadcasting and media production company, he dismissed its findings as false, claiming they were part of a scheme by certain individuals intent on destabilising peace in Nigeria.

Sharif argued that their investigations showed the confirmed death toll in Benue State did not exceed 300.

He also accused unnamed actors of trying to depict Nigeria as a country where Christians are being systematically targeted—a narrative he strongly rejects.

Sharif alleged that Amnesty’s report was deliberately crafted to politicise the violence and fuel religious and ethnic tensions in Nigeria, which he claims is the true motive behind the publication.

In a video of the interview posted on Facebook, Sherif said, "It is necessary to tell ourselves the truth and acknowledge that there are some people who do not want us to live peacefully in this country. We should all agree on that fact.

"The reason we came out to speak on this issue is because some people are trying to project the false narrative that Nigeria is a country where Christians are being systematically killed, and everyone knows that this is not true."

When Sharif was questioned about Amnesty International’s report, which noted that nearly 6,800 people were killed in Benue and over 2,000 in Plateau within two years, he was asked whether he believed the report was false and propagandistic, and what evidence he had to refute those claims.

He said, "If you follow the news in this country, you will notice that Amnesty International often reports incidents of attacks mainly in the northern region. It was only recently that the Benue report emerged. However, according to our findings, the number of people confirmed dead in Benue is not up to 300."

When asked whether the Amnesty International report—highlighting the government’s failure to address terrorism—was being unfairly criticised, and if blaming Amnesty for exposing the death toll while supporting a government that neglected its duties was justifiable, Sharif remained firm in his stance.

"If you examine how Amnesty International presents events, it is clear that they want to politicise the situation and provoke a religious and tribal crisis in the country. That is the honest truth,” he said.

"The issue is not whether the Nigerian government failed in its responsibilities or not—we often point out the government's mistakes and areas where it falls short."

When asked if, in light of the recent report, he would forgive Amnesty International for their previous support in the northern region, Nastura Ashir Sharif responded: "No, you cannot compare one failure to another. If we allow such a grievous report by Amnesty International to go unchallenged, we would be causing great harm to the region."

Previously, SaharaReporters reported that the Secretary of the Tafiyar Matasa 2027 under the umbrella of the Supreme Movement for the Advancement of Peace and Development in Arewa (SMAPDA), Arewa Mufarka, Sharfaddeen Bature, called on the Nigerian government to take firm action against Amnesty International over a recent report he alleged could spark a religious crisis.

Similarly, a filmmaker and journalist, Bello Habib Galadanci, known as Dan Bello, has also warned Amnesty International not to collude with the West and other interested parties to ignite religious conflict in Nigeria.

International’s Report on Rising Violence

In a report last Thursday, Amnesty International Nigeria said more than 10,000 people had been killed and hundreds of communities destroyed in Nigeria since President Bola Tinubu assumed office two years ago.

The human rights organisation warned of a “looming humanitarian crisis” and escalating insecurity across several northern states.

In the damning report released to mark the second anniversary of Tinubu’s presidency, the organisation said its investigation documented the killings of at least 10,217 people in armed attacks in Benue, Edo, Katsina, Kebbi, Plateau, Sokoto, and Zamfara states since May 29, 2023.

However, Bature condemned the report, which he claimed disproportionately highlighted killings in Benue and Plateau states, while underreporting violence in several Northern states such as Zamfara, Sokoto, Katsina, Kebbi, Kaduna, Kano, and Yobe.

He urged the federal government to investigate the motive behind the report and consider sanctions or other diplomatic measures against the international human rights organisation if found culpable of stoking religious or regional tensions.

The activist emphasised the importance of balanced and objective documentation of conflict-related incidents throughout Nigeria, warning that selective reporting could undermine national unity.

Bature made this known on his Facebook page, stating that some individuals are portraying the situation as a war between Northern Muslims and Christians, which he described as propaganda.

He said, "Over the past two years, more than 10,000 people have been killed in Nigeria. Of this number, 6,886 were not killed in Zamfara, Sokoto, Kebbi, or Katsina states.

"They were all killed in Benue State, where both Christians and Muslims reside, though Christians form the majority. The second-highest number of killings occurred in Plateau State, where 2,630 people lost their lives.

"According to a report released by Amnesty International, the killings over the past two years have claimed more than 10,000 lives, mostly in areas where Christians outnumber Muslims."

Bature alleged that the narrative being pushed by Amnesty International was that Christians were being targeted.

"This is pure lies and propaganda. People are living peacefully—both Northern Muslims and Christians—not just in the North, but in other parts of the country as well,” he said.

"You would immediately recognise that this is a lie and dangerous propaganda capable of tearing the country apart. We are calling on the government to take drastic action against this kind of reporting, which could cause serious problems for the country in the future," he added.

Meanwhile, Dan Bello, who is a northern social media commentator, alleged that AEI (American Enterprise Institute) was primarily responsible for publishing such “religiously divisive stories”.

According to him, the primary goal is the balkanisation of Nigeria, with its resources as the target.

He alleged that they have infiltrated Amnesty International and are most likely funding the organisation to help drive their agenda.

Bello said, "Among the 10,000 people that were killed in the past two years, Amnesty International reports that almost 7,000 are from Benue and more than 2,600 are from Plateau. The remaining 691 are from Zamfara, Sokoto, Katsina and Borno.

"These lies are outright insulting. A few months back, I told you about how the West was investing in offering Christians in Nigeria to ignite religious violence.

"Who are the culprits? Our investigation has traced this issue back to Washington, D.C., in the US, and a website called AEI is the one mainly publishing these religiously divisive stories.

"Who is the financer of AEI? Gates Foundation owned by Bill Gates. The primary goal is the balkanisation of Nigeria with its resources as the target. Now their plan has reached Amnesty International. They are most likely funding Amnesty to help drive their own agenda.

"Well, Amnesty International should know that that an advocate for human rights does not lie. An advocate for human rights does not collude with other interests to ignite religious conflict in any society.”