January 01, (THEWILL) — A former Senator representing Sokoto East Senatorial District, Engr. Ibrahim Abdullahi Gobir, has dismissed the Christian genocide claims in Nigeria by the United States of America’s President, Donald Trump.
The Senator described the narrative as misleading and detached from the country’s social realities.
Gobir also criticised the designation of Nigeria by the United States as a country of particular concern over alleged religious persecution, insisting that insecurity in the country is criminal, not religious, in nature.
Speaking in an interview with our correspondent in Sokoto, the former lawmaker urged the US President to focus on providing Nigeria with advanced technological support to identify and dismantle terrorist and bandit hideouts rather than amplifying what he termed false narratives.
He said the genocide allegation does not align with Nigeria’s long-standing culture of religious coexistence, where Muslims and Christians live, work, and even intermarry peacefully.
“There is an attempt to manufacture confusion where none exists. In Nigeria, religion does not define who becomes a victim. Even within my extended family, Muslims and Christians coexist through marriage. Bombs and bullets do not ask for religion before killing”, Gobir explained.
He warned that the spread of unverified information by external actors could worsen tensions and undermine Nigeria’s unity.
“It is unfair and dangerous for the United States to rely on distorted narratives suggesting that a Christian genocide is taking place in Nigeria. If there are concerns, the US should send an independent fact-finding mission to see the reality on the ground.”
The former senator acknowledged that while Nigeria has the manpower and resources to tackle insecurity, challenges remain in the areas of political will and access to modern surveillance and intelligence-gathering technology.
“With the right technological support and sustained international cooperation, Nigeria would have made far greater progress in ending banditry and terrorism”, he added.
Gobir also commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his economic reforms and renewed security efforts, noting that the administration inherited deep-seated challenges from previous governments.
He criticised the immediate past administration for what he described as weak responses to the security crisis, arguing that earlier decisive action could have reduced the scale of the problem.
According to him, President Tinubu has shown resolve in confronting insecurity and ensuring accountability for criminal elements.
Tunde Omolehin is an award-winning Journalist with prose in investigative and storytelling that is connecting the dots between the under-reported communities and policymakers to ensure good governance and accountability.
