Civil society groups in Nigeria have urged citizens to avoid rhetoric capable of deepening religious and tribal divisions, following mounting debate over alleged remarks by former U.S. President Donald Trump threatening military action against Nigeria over claims of Christian killings.
The Centre for Public Accountability, together with a coalition of civic organisations, issued the warning during a press briefing in Lagos on Monday. The groups expressed concern that public reaction to the reports was worsening an already volatile security situation.
Convener Declan Ihekaire said many Nigerians were spreading harmful narratives that risked inflaming tensions. He insisted that Nigeria’s stability must be protected and condemned attempts to frame the nation’s security crisis as a religious war against Christians.
“These narratives are dangerous and deliberately designed to provoke religious hostility,” Ihekaire said. He underscored that insecurity in Nigeria is a nationwide problem, affecting communities across religious and ethnic lines.
He warned that external powers and local actors could exploit such divisions, turning Nigeria into a battleground for international political interests. While some attackers have struck Christian-majority communities, Ihekaire said the motivation is often to create suspicion and fracture national cohesion—not to advance religious goals. He added that Muslim-majority regions in the North have also endured severe attacks, with thousands dead or displaced.
Highlighting persistent challenges—including terrorism, kidnapping, communal violence and banditry—he argued that President Bola Tinubu inherited a severely weakened security apparatus. The crisis, he said, long predates the current administration.
“It is misleading and politically driven to suggest that the killings only began recently or are due to negligence by President Tinubu,” he said.
Another participant, Gbenga Soloki, called for tougher action against those funding terrorism, adding that no country resolves entrenched security threats overnight. He urged political leaders to support the federal government and security agencies.
Femi Lawson, National Secretary of the Campaign for Democracy, praised ongoing reforms at the Ministry of Interior, citing improvements to border security, digital monitoring, identity management and data coordination. He said these measures were essential to curbing cross-border criminal networks and modernising Nigeria’s security systems.
