A New York Times investigation has reported that recent United States air strikes in Nigeria were based on intelligence drawn from unverified sources, raising concerns about the credibility of the information used to justify the military action. According to the report, U.S. lawmakers relied heavily on data provided by Emeka Umeagbalasi, described as a screwdriver trader and small NGO operator in Onitsha, Anambra State, whose research was cited to support claims of a Christian genocide in Nigeria. The newspaper noted that U.S. officials and lawmakers used these claims in shaping policy narratives that ultimately informed military decisions.
The New York Times quoted its findings as saying: “The man, Emeka Umeagbalasi, owns a tiny shop selling screwdrivers and wrenches in this market in Onitsha, the commercial hub of southeast Nigeria. But this screwdriver salesman is also an unlikely source of research that U.S. Republican lawmakers have used to promote the misleading idea that Christians are being singled out for slaughter in Africa’s most populous nation.” The report stated that Umeagbalasi claimed to have documented 125,000 Christian deaths since 2009 using Google searches and secondary sources, admitting that he rarely verifies data or visits affected areas, often assuming victims’ religion based on location. It added that U.S. lawmakers including Ted Cruz, Riley Moore and Chris Smith repeatedly cited his work, which former President Donald Trump referenced when justifying air strikes carried out in December on ISIS targets in north-western Nigeria.