The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has accused the Federal Government of prioritising international image management over the protection of Nigerians, demanding explanations over a reported ₦500 million emergency strategic communications campaign aimed at countering claims of Christian persecution in the country.
HURIWA said the reported expenditure was difficult to justify amid continuing attacks in parts of the North and Middle Belt, arguing that government resources should be directed primarily towards preventing killings, protecting vulnerable communities and bringing perpetrators to justice.
In a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko, the rights group said the central question confronting Nigerians was not whether the government could mount a more effective international media campaign, but whether citizens were safe in their homes, farms, places of worship and communities.
“A government cannot defeat insecurity with propaganda. It cannot protect citizens with public relations campaigns,” HURIWA said.
The group said the reported expenditure, which it said was released on December 19, 2025, to the Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Policy Communications for an “emergency Strategic Communications & Global Media Engagement” campaign, raised serious questions about transparency and government priorities.
HURIWA demanded a full account of how the money was spent, including the companies, consultants, media organisations or agencies that received the funds, the services delivered, the procurement process followed and the measurable objectives and outcomes of the campaign.
“If the government believes the ₦500 million was properly spent, let the details be published. Let Nigerians know who received the money, what was delivered, what was achieved and why the expenditure was necessary,” the group said.
HURIWA said the reported spending must be viewed against the broader security crisis facing the country.
It cited figures attributed to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED), claiming that Nigeria recorded 7,956 conflict incidents between July 2025 and June 2026, with approximately 15,000 deaths and an estimated 66.8 million people exposed to violence and insecurity.
The organisation stressed that the figures, if accurately reported, should trigger an emergency national security response rather than what it described as an emergency public relations response.
It listed Borno, Katsina, Zamfara, Sokoto, Kaduna, Benue and Plateau among affected states, arguing that the scale of violence demonstrated that insecurity could not be reduced to a single religious or ethnic narrative.
HURIWA acknowledged the Federal Government’s position that victims include both Christians and Muslims and that the crisis involves terrorism, banditry, communal violence and other criminal activities.
However, it insisted that this did not absolve government of the responsibility to investigate credible allegations of attacks against Christian communities or any other vulnerable population.
“Whether a victim is Christian, Muslim or adherent of any other faith, the Nigerian state has one overriding obligation: protect life,” it said.
The rights group also raised questions over a reported arrangement involving United States-based lobbying and public affairs firm DCI Group, allegedly engaged through Aster Legal in a reported $9 million annual arrangement to strengthen Nigeria’s engagement with US policymakers and communicate government efforts to protect Christian communities.
HURIWA said it was not opposed to legitimate diplomacy or strategic communication with foreign governments.
Its concern, it said, was the possibility that expensive lobbying and public relations campaigns could be used as substitutes for concrete action against terrorism, banditry and attacks on vulnerable communities.
The organisation therefore demanded publication of the full terms of the alleged arrangement, including the authority that authorised it, procurement procedures, contracted services and measurable outcomes.
It also questioned how the expenditure directly improved the physical security of Nigerians and what proportion of the resources was being directed towards intelligence gathering, prevention, prosecution and community protection.
HURIWA further linked its concerns to the reported killing of nine members of the extended family of Plateau-based cleric, Rev. Ezekiel Dachomo, at Kum village in Rim District of Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State.
The organisation condemned the reported attack and expressed concern that authorities had yet to announce arrests over the killings.
It demanded a transparent investigation, prosecution of those responsible and urgent measures to prevent further attacks on vulnerable communities.
HURIWA also urged security agencies to establish the motive behind the attack and determine whether it formed part of a broader pattern of violence in the area.
The group said reported condemnation of the Plateau killings by the United States should not be dismissed simply as an image-management problem.
“If foreign governments, international organisations, civil society groups and affected communities are independently raising concerns over violence, the appropriate response is to investigate the allegations and publish credible findings,” it said.
HURIWA urged the Federal Government to match its repeated assurances that terrorism and banditry would be defeated with measurable results.
It said security should not be assessed principally through speeches, diplomatic engagements or public relations campaigns, but by whether Nigerians could safely travel, farm, worship, attend school and sleep in their homes.
The group called for the publication of full details of the reported ₦500 million communications expenditure and alleged $9 million lobbying arrangement.
It also demanded greater investment in intelligence gathering, modern policing, rapid response, community protection and prosecution of perpetrators, as well as transparent investigations into major attacks.
HURIWA further urged government to protect Christians, Muslims and other Nigerians without discrimination and establish measurable security benchmarks against which its counterterrorism pledges could be assessed.
The organisation said the most effective international campaign Nigeria could mount would be to create a country where attacks are prevented, perpetrators are arrested, victims receive justice and citizens can live without fear.
“The strongest public relations campaign for Nigeria is security. The strongest defence against allegations of persecution is justice. And the most convincing response to international criticism is competent governance,” HURIWA said.
It warned that Nigeria’s credibility could not be manufactured through consultants, lobbyists or media campaigns.
“The Federal Government must stop fighting the narrative and start winning the war against insecurity. Nigerians need security, not spin. They need justice, not propaganda. They need government action, not government explanations,” the group said.
