Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, has cautioned the United States against framing Nigeria’s security challenges as a religious conflict between Christians and Muslims, saying the realities are far more complex.
Speaking during a live media chat on ARISE News and other national television stations on Sunday, Soludo reacted to comments attributed to U.S. President Donald Trump about protecting Christians in Nigeria. The governor urged Washington to avoid simplistic interpretations and to respect Nigeria’s sovereignty in line with international law.
“As a country, America has its own rights to have its own views about what is going on elsewhere, but when it comes to what it does, I am sure it must also do what it does in terms of its own response within the realm of international law,” Soludo said.
He stressed that violence in the South East region, where he hails from, is not driven by religion but by internal crises, noting that those behind the killings are themselves Christians.
“People are killing themselves, Christians killing Christians. The people in the bushes are Emmanuel, Peter, John, all Christian names, and they have maimed and killed thousands of our youths. It has nothing to do with religion,” he stated.
According to him, if the U.S. intends to assist Nigeria, such intervention should come only at the invitation of the Nigerian government and should focus on strengthening military and technological capabilities to combat insecurity.
“Certainly, if Nigeria requests any assistance for the military, technology, and hardware to deal with insurgency, then it is within Nigeria’s call,” the governor added.
Soludo dismissed Trump’s perceived threat to protect Christians in Nigeria, describing it as an overreach. Drawing parallels, he argued that if the same logic were applied, African nations might have threatened to invade the U.S. during the #BlackLivesMatter protests.
“You had policemen killing some blacks… I remember the #BlackLivesMatter protest, and somebody will say maybe Africa should go and invade America because blacks are being killed? I am not quite sure. Because that is the way I see it,” Soludo remarked.
He called for a deeper conversation on Nigeria’s security challenges and expressed confidence that the Federal Government would provide a strong and fact based response.
“I think there is a need for deeper conversation. It must end in conversation, and I am sure the government of Nigeria will respond very robustly on behalf of Nigeria. Nigeria is such a big country, and the government is doing a whole lot to safeguard the country,” he said.
Soludo, who is seeking re election next Saturday, reiterated that the South East is predominantly Christian, making it illogical to view the killings there through a religious lens.
“In this part of the country (South East), we are 95 per cent Christian, and around the South East are Christians. The people in the bushes killing people bear Christian names; it is wider than the categorisation of Christians and Muslims. Nigeria will overcome, and it will end in a conversation,” he concluded.
