Who Owns the Genocide Narrative? Securitization, Sovereignty, and the Politics of Christian Victimhood in U.S.-Nigeria Relations
1Malachy Chuma Ochie and 2Asogwa, Felix C.
1Department of International Relations and Diplomacy Maduka University, Ekwegbe-Nsukka, Enugu State, Nigeria
2Institute for Peace, Conflict and Development Studies, Enugu State University of Science and Technology, Agbani-Enugu, Nigeria
Email:chrisomadina@gmail.com; asofex2008@yahoo.com
ABSTRACT
This article examined the contestation over genocide narratives in contemporary U.S.–Nigeria relations by analyzing how claims of “Christian genocide” in Nigeria were constructed, circulated, and politicized within global security discourse. Anchored in securitization theory, particularly the Copenhagen School’s emphasis on speech acts and audience acceptance, the study explored how incidents of religious violence in Nigeria were reframed by segments of the United States political and advocacy landscape as existential threats demanding international attention and potential intervention. The analysis situated this reframing within broader debates on sovereignty, post-colonial state authority, and the global politics of human rights. Methodologically, the study adopted a qualitative discourse-analytical approach. It analyzed U.S. congressional hearings, foreign policy statements, religious advocacy reports, media narratives, and official responses from the Nigerian government between 2015 and 2024. These materials were examined to identify the linguistic, moral, and strategic mechanisms through which episodes of violence were labeled as genocide, as well as the counter-discursive strategies through which Nigerian state actors resisted or reinterpreted such labels. The discourse analysis was complemented by secondary conflict datasets and existing scholarly literature on religious violence in Nigeria in order to contextualize the claims advanced by both domestic and international actors. The study documented how genocide labeling functioned as a politically charged discursive practice rather than a purely legal or empirical classification. Competing narratives revealed a struggle over moral authority, victimhood, and the framing of Nigeria’s security crisis within international forums. The Nigerian government’s rejection of the genocide designation was examined as part of a broader effort to maintain sovereign control over security governance and policy interpretation. These discursive dynamics were shown to have practical diplomatic implications, shaping bilateral relations and influencing cooperation on security, counter-terrorism, and human rights between Nigeria and the United States.
Keywords: Securitization; Genocide Narratives; Sovereignty; Christian Victimhood; U.S.–Nigeria Relations; Religious Violence
CITE AS: Malachy Chuma Ochie and Asogwa Felix C. (2026). Who Owns the Genocide Narrative? Securitization, Sovereignty, and the Politics of Christian Victimhood in U.S.-Nigeria Relations. IDOSR JOURNAL OF ARTS AND MANAGEMENT 11(1):8-19. https:/doi.org/10.59298/IDOSRJAM/2026/111.819000