It is not uncommon for the empire to wrap geopolitical objectives in the tinfoil of justice and democracy. The empire is known to leverage deep-seated resentment, the cry for help and clamour for justice by certain groups in a country to actualise its selfish strategic interest.
Insecurity in Nigeria is no longer a one-off or occasional crisis; it has become a persistent and ongoing issue. It has become a national feature and the citizens are barely rattled or fazed by its devastating impacts on the nation. Nigeria’s security challenges are not just about the consequential death toll and the troubling destruction of properties, riding sidesaddle with this existential crisis are conspiracy theories and extraneous distractions.
In recent days, social media has been awash with reports of genocide and mass Killing of Christians in Nigeria. Bill Maher, an American comedian and TV host, was the first to raise the alarm about what he described as ‘Christian genocide’ in Nigeria. Maher’s claim was quickly seized upon and amplified by other influential Americans. Two senators have vowed to use their position to compel President Donald Trump to take action and protect Christians in Nigeria.
While their claim can’t be totally dismissed as false, their sudden interest in insecurity in Nigeria and the fate of Christians, whom they believe are targets of mass killing, is suspect. Muslims, as much as Christians, have been victims of the atrocities and barbarity of the depraved minds and perverse elements who have turned Nigeria into a Killing field. Of course, killings in the Middle Belt, a vast tract of land in Central Nigeria inhabited by a plethora of ethnicities, have disproportionately targeted Christians.
The newfound interest of American influential personalities in Nigeria’s complexities and confounding realities has further divided the polarised nation whose majority citizens have in recent years gradually moved away from convictions and beliefs that strengthen nationhood to embrace primordial sentiments that elevate personal and ethnic agenda over national interest. For Christians in Nigeria, the claim of genocide against them by American politicians corroborates their long-standing position on the reality of the security situation in Nigeria, and in these Americans, they have seen reliable friends who would end their persecution and the injustice meted out to them by the Nigerian state.
For Muslims and supporters of the ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), the narrative of ‘Christian genocide’ being peddled is nothing but a dangerous mischaracterisation of the complexities of Nigeria’s decades-long insecurity which does not provide any nuanced or contextual analysis of the situation. To them, these narratives seek to undermine the government and are aimed at instigating chaos and anarchy that would ultimately breach the peace, stability and order of the country.
Whatever side one is on, it is important to look at the issue objectively and dispassionately. As a citizen, one’s allegiance is first to his or her country, irrespective of one’s feelings towards the people governing it. On whether there is genocide in Nigeria or not, the current government has not covered itself in glory with the way it has handled insecurity in the country, especially in Christian-dominated enclaves of the Middle Belt. The government’s spokespersons have been working around the clock to disprove the notion of Christian genocide in the country, but the pattern of attacks and killings in some areas is a compelling proofs that contrast sharply with what they want the public to believe.
The context and proof of the Christians who live in the rural middle belt of Benue, Plateau, Taraba and Adamawa. They are farmers who have been left at the mercy of rampaging terrorists who constantly attack and brutally kill their kith and kins, raze their barns and silos that contain the agricultural produce they suffered and toiled to plant and harvest. Their churches were not spared in these mindless onslaughts bellowing expletives and profanities while at it.
The village is now abandoned. It now houses three mass graves. One third of the population lives in the mass graves. The last third lives in a distant IDP camp. A large part of its ancestral land has now been taken over by aliens who are among the perpetrators of the violence unleashed on the previous dwellers..
The troops just outside the villages where the killings are taking place have been stationed there for years now. But somehow their presence nearby has not deterred those behind these heinous and barbaric acts because the soldiers themselves have not shown that they are there to stop these attacks and protect the people. They always show up late to thwart the attacks. But they always come after bodies have been slain and properties destroyed to warn the village that reprisals will not be allowed and even confiscate local weapons or anything the locals can use to fend off the attackers and protect themselves. From this perspective, any denial of a Christian genocide is diabolical and ungodly
Additionally, they have graves. They have pictures of forlorn children, despondent women and helpless women whose minds are burdened by sorrow and strife, whose bloodshot eyes are reddened by tears of losing loved ones and prized worldly possessions. There is irrefutable evidence of a religious undertone characterised by indiscriminate burning of churches and killing of priests. Strong cases can also be made for government impotence and even complicity. With all these, it is hard to dismiss the claim of genocide irrespective of what happens elsewhere. The fact that Muslims are also being killed in places like Zamfara, Katsina, and Borno does not automatically rebut the assertion of Christian genocide in other parts of the country. Two truths can exist.
What should concern patriotic Nigerians is the sudden interest of the United States in the plight of Christians in Nigeria. If history is anything to go by, whenever US politicians and popular media personalities start peddling unsettling narratives about a country, whether true or false, then the citizens of that country should be mightily worried because something obnoxious and destructive might be in the offing and it has nothing to do with the interests of the average citizen of that country.
Furthermore, when the US suddenly becomes a voice of reason and an agitator for justice, then it is looking for ways to actualise its strategic goals. It is not uncommon for the empire to wrap geopolitical objectives in the tinfoil of justice and democracy. The empire is known to leverage deep-seated resentment, the cry for help and clamour for justice by certain groups in a country to actualise its selfish strategic interest. Nigerians, especially Christians, must be wary of these ashen-faced interlopers who come bearing gifts of freedom, protection and equality. We’ve seen it in Iraq, Syria, and Libya. And we’re currently seeing it in Gaza.
The same United States who, alongside Israel, masterminded the ousting of Syrian President, Bashar al-Assad and replaced him with a known Al Qaeda terrorist, Jolani, who until this year they placed a $10 million bounty on and who is now persecuting and killing the Druze, Christian minority in Syria, cannot all of a sudden become interested in the plight of Christians in Nigeria.
Tinubu will continue to find himself in a precarious and parlous situation on the international stage where sinister political players have latched onto the genocide theory to serve diverse political objectives. Downplaying or outrightly refuting the claim of Christian genocide — as suspect as it might be — feels like salt on open wounds for the victims. The government must show the political will to address insecurity in the country which it has not done so far. The way forward is to explore new ways to tackle insecurity headlong. Doing the same thing as before echoes complicity and only lends credence to the notion of genocide against Christians. The president must act decisively and ruthlessly in dealing with the menace of terrorists. The continued existence and operation of these agents of destruction will be interpreted by many as collusion not incompetence.
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