There have been controversies on the alleged Christian genocide in the country. How true is the claim?
It is not a claim but the reality on the ground. Please ask those disputing it how many more people must die before they accept that it is genocide. Many Christian communities have been deliberately destroyed, and those responsible have occupied their lands in Plateau, Benue, and Southern Kaduna. I witnessed these things myself. In Miango, a community in Plateau State, 21 people were reportedly killed during an attack, even though there were only two churches in the village. People warned me not to go there, saying I might disappear. But I told them, “If I perish, I perish.” Among the 21 killed, 20 were Baptists from my own church, and I was the President of the Nigerian Baptist Convention. The other was a Methodist. They descended on them overnight. What was their offence that warranted such a massacre? Why did they choose to attack a predominantly Christian village? Two weeks later, they returned to the same village to complete the attack, and yet we claim to have the military and the police.
There are also claims that victims include Muslims as well as Christians.
That is one of the most disgusting statements I have ever heard. Are we now saying Christians are lying about being killed? What makes the killing of Christians particularly disturbing is that those responsible are Muslims. If members of the same faith attack one another, it is viewed differently. But when Muslims deliberately target Christians, that is persecution—and given the scale, it is genocide.
Remember, Mohammed Yusuf was the founder of Boko Haram, and after his death, Abubakar Shekau took over. Their goal was clear: Western education is forbidden, Western government and democracy are evil, and these have not brought the prosperity people deserve. Therefore, they vowed to wipe out anything representing Western civilisation or democracy, including Christians.
They even issued a statement ordering all Christians in the North to leave, declaring that they would wipe out anything un-Islamic. What could be more un-Islamic to them than Christians and the Church? They also said any Muslim who opposed their cause would be wiped out because such a person had aligned with infidels. They were clear and determined to exterminate Christianity and Christians.
How can the government now defend them by saying they didn’t intend to wipe out Christians—unless the government itself is complicit? That is why they have failed to end this crisis after 16 years.
If they now claim that Muslims are also being killed, who should stop the killers from targeting both Christians and Muslims? Is that not the government’s responsibility? Should any government take pride in watching its citizens being slaughtered? They now release statistics claiming that more Muslims have been killed than Christians. How did they arrive at that conclusion? From what research? This is a government that has failed to conduct a census for over 40 years to even know which group is larger. It is simply a lazy government that has lost direction.
A month ago, it was reported that CAN and the Federal Government dismissed the genocide, but a week later, CAN agreed with the U.S. This raised concerns that the government is trying to play down the issue. What is your take?
When the first report came out, I immediately issued a rebuttal because it was false. When dealing with politicians, you must be smart. Don’t let them release a statement before you, or they will misrepresent you and damage your image. That is why CAN later came out to clarify that Christians have been massacred in this nation. It is deliberate Christian genocide, and the evidence is on record.
Some have said CAN has not spoken enough about this issue, and that it took a U.S. senator to raise the alarm for Christians in Nigeria. Why is that so?
If the National Executive Council of the Christian Association of Nigeria feels the current leadership is not doing enough, they should address it. Also, if journalists want to know whether the current CAN President is speaking or not, they should go to him directly.
The United States President, Donald Trump, has threatened to send military forces to Nigeria if the government fails to stop the killing of Christians. What is your reaction?
It is a wake-up call to our clueless government. If what is happening has become an international embarrassment, why is it not embarrassing our own government? With the military, police, DSS, and civil defence in place, what excuse do they have for not tackling this problem before it got this bad? For 16 years, they have failed to solve it. The terrorists now occupy new areas, and even the South-West is being affected. What then is the essence of government?
They are only focused on winning the 2027 election, neglecting their duties in 2025 and 2026. How can people be so shameless about their failure, especially in matters of security? They are so fixated on 2027 instead of focusing on saving lives.
How can anyone play politics with the blood of innocent people being shed daily? Am I glad that Muslims are being killed? Am I glad that Christians are being killed? Of course not. But my constituency is Christianity. If I cry out that my people are being killed and it has become unbearable, should I keep quiet because Muslims are also being killed? That would be madness and insensitivity.
That is why I say unless people like Trump intervene, these leaders will not change their deceptive and biased approach to security. Some of those in government are complicit. A governor even admitted that some officials are involved. Yet, those focused on winning the next election refuse to address the issue honestly.
Is your ambition worth the blood of innocent people? That is the moral question before them, and they will answer to God one day. You cannot play politics with people’s lives. Many dreams are being cut short overnight. I will continue to speak until justice is done.
Do you support Trump’s threat of military intervention?
If that will bring peace, yes. This is not the first time I have said that if the government cannot solve this problem, it should seek help from outside. Nigerians want to move freely in their own country. But if our leaders just occupy offices and do nothing while people are being killed, what is the point of having them there? It is a wake-up call to the government that not everyone will take this bloodshed for granted. They should not dare Trump. He does what he says. When he cracked down on immigrants in America, they tried to stop him through the courts, but he still achieved his goals. He does not take no for an answer. They should not underestimate him.
Some analysts say U.S. interventions often leave countries worse off, with more instability and disruption.
If a place becomes disrupted, who caused it? If Iran changed, who caused it? Who gave America the loophole to exploit? You are not causing disruption, but your people are dying in your presence, and you do nothing. What is worse than that? Let’s face reality. The more leaders defend their failure and act as though nobody has died, the clearer it becomes that they are wicked and unwilling to help Nigerians.
How would you assess the Federal Government’s response to Trump’s comments, especially after Nigeria was described in unflattering terms?
That is their problem. That is how Trump sees their leadership. Disgraceful leaders will produce a nation of disgrace. Is it not shameful that this is what our leaders have turned Nigeria into over the past 16 years? A group of young people claiming to fight for Islam has held the entire nation hostage—what could be more disgraceful?
It is our leaders who brought this shame upon the country. Now they claim there is no genocide. But didn’t President Tinubu and his allies, back in 2014, protest against President Goodluck Jonathan over this same issue, saying Christians were being wiped out and calling on the international community to intervene? So what has changed now? When it was politically convenient, it was called persecution. Now, they say both Christians and Muslims are being killed.
If people are being killed before your eyes—regardless of their faith—and you remain silent, can that be the response of someone who knows what is right and wrong?
