Alex Barbir, an American missionary and founder of the humanitarian organisation Building Zion, has found himself at the heart of a fierce controversy in Nigeria after a video he posted in late March sparked calls for his arrest from prominent voices including a former presidential aide and a high-profile Islamic cleric.
The storm began when Barbir, standing among ruins in Plateau State, posted a video sharply criticising President Bola Tinubu over what he described as government inaction in the face of ongoing killings of Christians in the region. The video went viral, triggering an immediate and intense backlash.
Former presidential aide Bashir Ahmad was among the first to publicly call on the Department of State Services (DSS) to investigate and arrest Barbir, labelling him a “conflict entrepreneur” fanning the flames of religious unrest. His position was echoed by controversial Islamic cleric Sheikh Ahmad Gumi and other Muslim clerics, who demanded Barbir’s immediate arrest, calling him a propagandist intent on dividing Nigeria and manufacturing conflict.
The campaign against Barbir has been accompanied by an apparent coordinated disinformation offensive. An AI-generated video has circulated falsely claiming that former U.S. President Donald Trump attended a housing commissioning ceremony alongside Barbir in Benue State. Separately, unverified claims have spread online portraying him as an undercover U.S. military special agent or intelligence operative — allegations frequently accompanied by photos of Barbir wearing body armour or military-style clothing in conflict zones.
Supporters of the missionary, however, point to a documented track record of humanitarian work in some of Nigeria’s most volatile communities. Barbir is credited with rebuilding between 35 and 38 homes for displaced persons in Yelwata, Benue State. He has also previously blown the whistle on alleged corruption by local officials, claiming they inflated the cost of a market rebuilding project from his ₦60 million estimate to ₦300 million.
Barbir has not backed down in the face of mounting pressure. In a pointed warning, he stated: “If anything happens to me, there will be a big problem.”
The controversy has exposed deep fault lines around how foreign nationals operating in Nigeria’s conflict zones are perceived — and whether raising alarm about violence against minority communities constitutes legitimate advocacy or dangerous interference. Neither the DSS nor the Nigerian government has publicly confirmed any investigation into Barbir as of press time.
