Senior Nigerian cleric, Bishop David Abioye, has strongly criticized those who deny that Christians are being targeted and killed in Nigeria, describing them as a “wicked set of people.”

Speaking during a recent church service, Bishop Abioye — a prominent leader in the Living Faith Church Worldwide — lamented what he called deliberate attempts to downplay the persecution of Christians across the country.

“There is a lot of distortion going on. People claiming there is no genocide of Christians in the nation. Information with facts can never be thwarted. You see people buried in hundreds and you say there is no genocide. What a wicked set of people,” he said.

The cleric acknowledged that other groups have also been victims of violence but insisted that the systematic targeting of Christians is “very clear” and spreading southward.

“Agreed there are others killed in other places for other reasons, but this one is very clear. And gradually it is eating down to the South — South West and South East. Many so-called leaders, for their personal interest, are claiming it is not true — selling out their faith, if they have it at all,” Abioye added.

His remarks come in the wake of comments by U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, who alleged that a genocide against Christians is ongoing in Nigeria and accused the Federal Government of complicity.

The Nigerian government has, however, dismissed such claims, maintaining that violence in the country affects both Christians and Muslims, depending on the region and circumstances.

Bishop Abioye’s comments have reignited public debate on the nature of religious killings in Nigeria and the government’s response to recurring security crises.