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, has called on the Nigerian government to take firm action against Amnesty International over a recent report he alleges 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.

In a report on 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 new 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 claims disproportionately highlights 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 added that Amnesty International’s report claims that Christians are being killed more than Muslims in the northern region.

However, he argued that such narratives are often politicised to portray Muslims as the aggressors.

According to him, they falsely suggest that Muslims organise themselves to attack Christians in the North, while ignoring the fact that Jos and Benue are also part of the North.

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 explained that the report indicates that Christians were the primary victims of these attacks. He said, “In all honesty, one must ask: what kind of mind or conscience can remain unmoved by such a report?

“Meanwhile, the northern region of Nigeria continues to face serious insecurity, with terrorist groups like the Lakurawa and other unidentified groups emerging in Zamfara, Katsina, Sokoto, and Kebbi, killing innocent people.

"Look at these reports. They claim that in the region, Christians are being killed more than Muslims. Meanwhile, at the end of the day, they will politicise it and say that it was Muslims who grouped themselves and started killing Christians in the North—forgetting that everyone knows Jos and Benue are part of the North.

"Some are projecting this as a war between Northern Muslims and Christians, which everyone knows is propaganda.”

@sharfaddeenbature #sharfaddeenbature #amnesty ♬ Last Hope - Steve Ralph

"No reasonable person should believe such claims. Let me give you an example: go to Google and ask it to show you a crowd of 10,000 people, and then imagine someone claiming that 6,000 of them were killed within two years in a state with a population of less than six million. That is not logical," Bature said 

He said, "Here in Kano, I know you’ve never heard of such large-scale killings. But in Zamfara, Sokoto, Katsina, Kaduna, Kebbi, and Yobe, we are all aware of the killings that have occurred.

"Yet in Benue, where they claimed almost 7,000 people were reportedly killed, there has been barely any media coverage. But Amnesty International knows what happened, and they are also aware of the killings in Jos. If you look at all these things clearly, you’ll realise—whether we accept it or not—that there is an agenda to see the country collapse.

"It was France that first reported the killings and told the world that people were being killed in Nigeria, especially in Benue and Jos, where it is widely known that Christians outnumber Muslims in terms of population."

Bature said the narrative they push is that Christians are 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.”

"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) is primarily responsible for publishing such “religiously divisive stories,” adding that its financier is the Gates Foundation, owned by Bill Gates.

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.”

He urged the organisation to advocate for human rights and not take sides.

He said, "An advocate for human rights is not a hypocrite. You can't come out and fight for Hamdiyya then tomorrow publish information that conflicts with what she was fighting for, and think that we will just eat up everything. 

"Just because we have educational problems in Nigeria doesn't mean we are foolish. We won't keep quiet while you try to manipulate our people.

"The reason why you are talking about Hamdiyya is because of the much killing in our society that she came out to speak, as a result, the governor of her state is looking the other way while authorities are trying to take her life.

"You want to say the people killed in Plateau and Benue are 10 times as many as the people in Hamdiyya's region?

"This is an insult, Nigerians, beware, don't let the West push you to start religious conflicts. They've figured out that that's the only way they can divide you while you continue to live in poverty as they run back to their countries with your resources.

"Don't give them this opportunity, if someone commits a crime or is a suspect, hand them over to the authorities. Don't take the law into your own hands.”

"This will only increase the intensity of violence and poverty. Amnesty International should be ashamed of itself," Bello added.

Amnesty International, in its report published by SaharaReporters on Thursday, said Benue state recorded the highest number of deaths with 6,896 killed, followed by Plateau with 2,630 fatalities. The report said 672 villages were sacked by gunmen and bandits across these states, deepening mass displacement and threatening food security.

“Today marks exactly two years since President Bola Tinubu assumed office with a promise to enhance security. Instead, things have only gotten worse, as the authorities continue to fail to protect the rights to life, physical integrity, liberty and the security of tens of thousands of people across the country,” said Isa Sanusi, Director of Amnesty International Nigeria.

The report noted that in the two years since President Tinubu’s government assumed power, new armed groups have emerged including Lakurawa in Sokoto and Kebbi states, and Mamuda in Kwara state, while hundreds of villages have been sacked by gunmen in Benue, Borno, Katsina, Sokoto, Plateau and Zamfara.

In Zamfara state, over 481 villages have been sacked, with 529 others under the control of bandits across 13 local government areas, Amnesty said. The group documented daily attacks, including a massacre of over 20 miners in Gobirawar Chali on April 24, 2025.

The report also highlighted atrocities in Plateau and Benue, where entire communities were razed and critical infrastructure such as boreholes, clinics, schools, grain reserves and places of worship destroyed.