Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Senator George Akume, has warned that the pervasive pronouncements by the US administration and other interest groups in the country labelling the security situation in Nigeria as a genocide against Christians was emboldening violent groups seeking to exploit narratives to attack soft targets.
Akume asserted this on Wednesday while briefing the press on the raging insurgency, banditry, illegal mining and the position of the US that the killings in the country amounted to Christian genocide.
The SGF also warned that the inaccurate interpretations were creating diplomatic friction and undermining the Nigerian government’s longstanding efforts to build constructive international partnerships.
He said across the country, Christians and Muslims had been victimised while no credible international organisation had ever classified killings as a genocide against Christians or any group.
Akume said Boko Haram and ISWAP attacked both churches and mosques, exterminating Muslims and Christians alike, while bandits were also targeting all communities without distinction.
“The Current misrepresentation of the crisis as genocide against Christians fuels dangerous religious tensions, emboldens extremist and criminal factions seeking to exploit sectarian narratives, creates diplomatic frictions based on inaccurate interpretations and undermines Nigeria’s longstanding efforts to build constructive international security partnerships,” Akume said.
He warned that before the American statements, insurgency structures had been significantly degraded and reduced to isolated banditry. He said the resurgence underscored the vital need for collaboration- not public vilification- between Nigeria and the US.
He also insisted that Nigeria did not require foreign troops, stating that what the country needed was targeted support from partners, especially the United States in the area of intelligence cooperation, technology and military equipment support for advanced engagement against the insurgents.
Akume said: “Nigeria rejects any characterisation of the conflict as a genocide against Christians or any group. Verified evidence shows that insurgents and criminal networks attack both churches and mosques, killing Muslims and Christians alike.
“The government remains committed to protecting all citizens and strengthening cooperation with international partners, especially the United States, to dismantle extremist and criminal networks.
“Nigeria is a secular state as guaranteed by various provisions of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended. No state religion is adopted as a national religion and no citizen of Nigeria is above the Nigerian constitution.
“The appointment made by the present administration reflects the diversities of our nation and both Christians and Muslims and members of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) holding key positions in equal proportion including the Nigerian security council, the body that deals with all security challenges in Nigeria.”
The SGF noted that the gale of insecurity sweeping the country today was inseparable from the destabilisation that followed the 2011 Libya and Egypt uprisings, saying the collapse of the Libyan state allowed Al-Qaeda-aligned traffickers to loot and disperse heavy weapons across the Sahel.
He stated that Egypt’s instability further opened corridors for extremist ideologies and foreign fighters’ influence. He said weapons flowing through AQIM-controlled smuggling routes entered West Africa and Nigeria, strengthening Boko Haram, ISWAP and later banditry networks.
On the way forward, the SGF said to sustainably address Nigeria’s security challenges, the federal government would strengthen nationwide security operations, deepen intelligence-sharing with the United States and allies and intensify follow-the-money operations targeting illegal mining, trafficking, and all other forms of transnational crimes in Nigeria.
He added that the country would enhance rural security, border surveillance and governance and uphold strict human-rights safeguards.
“As the United States remains the largest democracy in the world, and Nigeria, the largest democracy in Africa, modelled after the American system, our two nations share a historic responsibility to work together to promote global stability, strengthen democratic values especially in Africa, and confront extremist threats in Nigeria and other neighbouring nations.
“Nigeria is committed to deepening our diplomatic ties and strategic partnership based on mutual respect and reciprocity,” Akume said.
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