The New York Times (NYT) has reported that the United States relied in part on information supplied by Emeka Umeagbalasi, a screwdriver trader based in Onitsha, Anambra State, to justify recent U.S. air strikes in Nigeria.
Umeagbalasi is the founder of the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety), a non-governmental organisation he runs from his home with his wife. According to the report, his work has been repeatedly cited by U.S. Republican lawmakers promoting claims that Christians are being systematically targeted and killed in Nigeria.
In October, U.S. President Donald Trump redesignated Nigeria as a “country of particular concern,” citing allegations of a Christian genocide. Trump claimed that “thousands of Christians are being killed” and blamed radical Islamist groups for what he described as a “mass slaughter.”
A month later, Trump warned that the U.S. Department of War could invade Nigeria “guns-a-blazing” if the Nigerian government failed to address the alleged genocide. On December 26, the U.S. carried out air strikes against ISIS targets in north-western Sokoto State, saying the action was taken at the request of Nigerian authorities.
The New York Times report described Umeagbalasi as an “unlikely source” whose research has been used by U.S. lawmakers to advance what it called a misleading narrative that Christians are being singled out for extermination in Nigeria. Lawmakers Riley Moore, Ted Cruz, and Chris Smith of New Jersey—who were asked by Trump to probe the genocide claims—have all cited his work.
Umeagbalasi has claimed to have documented about 125,000 Christian deaths in Nigeria since 2009. However, he told the New York Times that his figures are largely based on Google searches, Nigerian media reports, secondary sources, and data from advocacy groups such as Open Doors. He admitted that he rarely verifies his data, seldom visits affected areas, and often assumes victims’ religious identities based on the location of attacks.
According to the report, when violence occurs in areas he believes are predominantly Christian, Umeagbalasi assumes the victims are Christians. In a separate interview, he described this approach as a long-established “natural method” of data collection.
Umeagbalasi, who holds degrees in security studies and peace and conflict resolution from the National Open University of Nigeria, has described himself as a powerful and knowledgeable investigator. He has also claimed that Nigeria has about 100,000 churches, with roughly 20,000 allegedly destroyed over the past 16 years—figures he said were obtained through online searches.
The New York Times concluded that Trump’s decision to authorise air strikes during the Christmas period was influenced by information supplied by U.S. lawmakers who repeatedly relied on Umeagbalasi’s data.