Bashir Ahmad, former special assistant on digital communications to ex-President Muhammadu Buhari, and Elias Gerasoulis, a United States-based lobbyist, have disagreed publicly over Washington’s intervention in the alleged persecution of Christians in Nigeria.
On Tuesday, a report emerged that US lawmakers were urged to pressure the Nigerian government to end the implementation of Sharia law in northern states and to dissolve Hisbah bodies. According to the report, experts warned that these systems were contributing to patterns of anti-Christian persecution.
The appeal was made during a joint House briefing held in response to United States President Donald Trump’s October directive and the subsequent designation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern. At the briefing, Council on Foreign Relations Senior Fellow, Dr. Ebenezer Obadare, said violent groups such as Boko Haram, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), and radicalised Fulani militants were exploiting Sharia structures and Hisbah officials to push extremist ideology, enforce forced conversions, and operate with minimal resistance.
Obadare also proposed pushing Nigeria to disband the Hisbah, a Muslim religious police force. The CFR fellow said pressuring the Nigerian government with incentives would be an effective strategy to combat terror groups. He spoke as an expert witness.
Blatant intrusion
Reacting to the development in a post on X, Ahmad said he did not wish to continue engaging the topic but considered the development a clear intrusion into Nigeria’s internal affairs. He stressed that the United States had no authority to determine how Nigerians should live, govern themselves, or practise their faith, noting that Nigeria is a sovereign country with its own constitutional and institutional frameworks.
He tweeted, “In as much as I don’t want to continue talking about this, but I must say this what a blatant intrusion into our internal affairs! The United States has absolutely no right to dictate to us how we should live, govern ourselves or practice our faith as Nigeria is a sovereign nation with our own Constitution, democratic institutions, cultural values and legal frameworks.”
Treat them like Venezuela
Ahmad’s statement drew a response from Gerasoulis who said, “Nigeria doesn’t warrant the respect of a sovereign nation. The US should approach Nigeria in the same way it approaches Venezuela.”
The former presidential aide replied early Thursday, calling Gerasoulis’ comment insulting. “It is an insult to more than 232 million people, to our Constitution and to our democratic institutions. But anyway, who do you think you are to look down on our country?” he asked.
The US lobbyist doubled down on his view of Nigeria and referenced old allegations claiming Buhari was cloned. “Nigeria is not a true country, but an artificial neo-colonial construct of the British, to empower Northern Nigerian islamists (who the British viewed as easier to control) to dominate over everyone else,” he said.
“But I guess you like that, considering you worked for the former despot of Nigeria Buhari (or shall I call him Jubril of Sudan). Your so-called democracy is not real democracy, but a bad joke!”
Who is Gerasoulis
Gerasoulis, a lobbyist with Moran Global Strategies, represents the Biafra Government in Exile (BRGIE) and has been actively pushing claims of Christian persecution in Nigeria. Working with Christian advocacy groups, he helped send letters to the US Congress portraying the South-East, where the proposed Biafra nation lies, as a marginalised but resource-rich region.
His briefings reportedly gained attention within Donald Trump’s circle. In October, he and Ogechukwu Nkere, BRGIE’s finance minister, met US Senator Ted Cruz, who soon after introduced a bill focused on alleged religious persecution in Nigeria.
Gerasoulis has defended his work, saying he supports liberation movements seeking justice. Earlier investigations by TheCable also showed that IPOB played a major role in spreading narratives of a “Christian genocide” in Nigeria.
