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Nigerian filmmaker and activist, J. C. Okechukwu, has accused international broadcaster CNN of hypocrisy and bias against former President Goodluck Jonathan, alleging that the network deliberately undermined his administration while ignoring worsening insecurity, killings of Christians under Bola Tinubu’s government.
In a post shared on his official X account on Thursday, Okechukwu said CNN was “on the ground in the North” during Jonathan’s fight against Boko Haram, spreading narratives that portrayed the government as targeting civilians rather than terrorists.
“This is why people hate CNN,” he wrote. “During the days of Goodluck Jonathan when Boko Haram was being effectively bombed out of Nigeria, this same CNN and their fellow mainstream news media jackals were live in Nigeria… practically parroting the narrative of Boko Haram and their sponsors – that Jonathan was bombing innocent civilians and not Boko Haram.”
He recalled that CNN went as far as interviewing soldiers who accused Jonathan’s government of poor welfare, adding that the station’s reports contributed to public discrediting of the administration before the 2015 election.
“They didn’t wait for any official to visit them in the studio. They were there on the ground to disgrace Jonathan’s government before eventually kicking him out,” Okechukwu said, claiming the move was part of a “plan” to stop the then-President from eliminating the insurgent group.
Okechukwu contrasted that period with CNN’s current silence under the APC government, noting that the network has ignored numerous viral videos showing soldiers lamenting poor treatment and being forced to fight alongside “repentant Boko Haram” members.
“Never in my life have I seen a regime in which soldiers have been so bold and ready to expose their own leadership than these APC regimes. Yet, CNN never for once gave these anomalies a single coverage,” he said.
The filmmaker alleged that CNN’s silence was deliberate, accusing the network of serving the interests of “globalists who own” it and describing the organisation as “CNN from Hell.”
He also condemned the government’s “repentant Boko Haram” reintegration programme, calling it “a state capture in real time.”
According to him, the scheme allows foreign terrorists to be absorbed into the Nigerian security forces.
“They are integrated into the system to coexist with the civilians they swore to kill… Murderers! This happens till this day – hundreds integrated every few months,” he wrote.
Okechukwu’s post was in reaction to a message by Information Minister Mohammed Idris, who boasted of Nigeria’s progress against extremism after appearing on CNN to defend the country’s image.
This is why people hate @CNN During the days of Goodluck Jonathan when Boko Haram was being effectively bombed out of Nigeria, this same CNN and their fellow mainstream news media jackals were Live in Nigeria, and I don’t mean Lagos or Enugu. No. They were on ground in the… https://t.co/h3r6aGxJB1
“I was on CNN yesterday, to affirm that Nigeria is a tolerant, multi-religious country confronting security challenges and extremism which we are working very hard to overcome — and we are making progress,” Idris had written.
Several users on X supported Okechukwu’s criticism, accusing CNN of protecting Western interests and ignoring Christian persecution in Nigeria.
One user, @Tuk_Tukello, said, “CNN couldn’t give voice to Nigerian Christians, especially those in the Middle Belt region who have endured years of persecution and genocide but are quick to give the government a chance at rebuttal.”
Another commenter, @Kennethchiori, claimed, “CNN works with the sponsors of terrorism in sub-Saharan Africa. Any leader that wants change in Africa should treat CNN as enemy combatants.”
Okechukwu ended his post with a warning to the international media, declaring, “I know you guys are too shameless to entertain any shame but guys, nothing in this life lasts forever. God will humble you so bad very soon, it’ll shock you CNN.”
The post has since generated wide debate on X, reviving discussions around international media bias, Western influence, and the ongoing security failures under the APC-led administration.
