Nigeria’s Security Crisis Is National, Not Religious

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By Akinola Olaiya

Those who claim that Nigeria is witnessing a Christian genocide are not telling the truth. What is happening across the country today is a national tragedy that touches every family and community, whether Christian, Muslim, or traditional believer. The killings, kidnappings, and terror attacks that have spread across Nigeria are acts of evil driven by greed, power, and lawlessness, not by religion.

The truth is that Nigerians are dying in large numbers, and the violence does not recognise faith or tribe. In many parts of the country, both Christians and Muslims have been victims of the same insecurity. It is wrong to interpret these crimes as religious persecution when the same blood is being shed on all sides.

In the North East, Boko Haram and other terror groups have carried out brutal attacks for years, destroying villages and killing thousands. Most of their victims have been ordinary Nigerians in markets, schools, and mosques. Their targets are not chosen by religion but by opportunity. The poor and the vulnerable are always at the receiving end.

In the North West, banditry has become a major security threat. Armed gangs attack communities, kidnap for ransom, and destroy farmlands. The violence there has nothing to do with faith. It is about money and the collapse of security systems.

In the Middle Belt, the farmers and herders conflict has continued for decades. It is a battle over land and survival, not about one religion against another. Both Christians and Muslims have lost their lives and properties in the conflict.

The South East also faces its own type of insecurity. Separatist groups, unknown gunmen, and other violent actors have turned parts of the region into fear zones. The violence there is political and ideological. It is not a religious war.

Across the country, the common factor is failure of leadership and weak security management. The government has not done enough to protect lives and property. This is the truth Nigerians must tell. Citizens should not allow anyone to divide them along religious lines when all are victims of the same system that has failed to provide safety and justice.

President Donald Trump’s claim that Nigeria is a country where Christians are under genocide is false and misleading. Such a statement paints a picture that does not match the reality on the ground. Even leaders in the United States have since distanced themselves from that report, warning that it was based on wrong and exaggerated information.

What Nigeria faces is insecurity, not religious persecution. Those who claim otherwise are trying to use religion to create confusion and weaken our unity. The country has been bleeding for too long. The duty of both the government and the people is to face the real problem and stop the blame games.

Nigerians of every faith are suffering. Markets are unsafe, farmers cannot go to their farms, and children are being kidnapped on their way to school. These are national problems that need national solutions. Dividing victims into religious groups does not solve anything.

The Nigerian government must take full responsibility for its failures. The security agencies must do their jobs with professionalism, intelligence, and discipline. Leaders must rebuild public trust by showing results, not excuses.

Nigeria’s peace cannot be built on propaganda from abroad or reckless statements from political figures. The country must tell its own story and stand firm against false narratives that only deepen suspicion among citizens.

No foreign power has the right to define our pain or label our crisis. Nigeria is not at war between Christians and Muslims. The real war is between the people and insecurity. What the world should support is a stronger Nigeria, a united country where every citizen can live in peace, regardless of religion.

Akinola Olaiya is a public affairs analyst, he writes from Lagos.