Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi has dismissed claims that Nigeria’s ongoing violence amounts to a religious conflict, saying that both Christians and Muslims are victims.
Speaking during an interview on ARISE News on Tuesday, he argued that the killings should not be framed along religious lines but seen as a national crisis threatening the country’s unity and survival.
“Christians are not being killed, Muslims are not being killed. Nigerians are being killed,” he said.
Akinyemi cautioned against turning the crisis into a “religious civil war,” warning that such narratives only deepen divisions.
He stressed that for the first time, a superpower, referring to the United States, has expressed readiness to assist Nigeria in addressing the violence, and this opportunity should not be squandered by internal bickering over labels.
Addressing growing debate about whether the killings amount to genocide, Akinyemi urged that discussions be based on common sense rather than rigid legal definitions.
He explained that the scale of destruction should be judged in context, noting that while killing 1,000 people in Lagos may not wipe out a community, the same figure in a small village would amount to genocide.
The former minister criticised those who downplay the severity of the killings, insisting they are out of touch with the realities in conflict zones such as the Middle Belt.
He also challenged sceptics to live in places like Kogi or Jos for 100 days to understand the level of violence first-hand. According to him, denial only worsens the crisis and delays meaningful action.
Reacting to U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent comments about taking military action in Nigeria to completely wipe out Islamic terrorists who are committing horrible atrocities, Akinyemi said the statement had been widely misunderstood.
He clarified that Trump was not threatening to invade Nigeria but offering help to resolve the persistent insecurity.
“Trump didn’t say he was coming to occupy Nigeria; he said he wanted to help us clean out the mess we haven’t been able to clean out,” he said.
He, however, warned that Nigeria should not expect any tangible support from other global powers like China, Russia, or the European Union, beyond words of sympathy.
Drawing lessons from Ukraine’s experience, Akinyemi said verbal support alone would not solve Nigeria’s problem, urging President Bola Tinubu’s administration to take decisive domestic action.
He also recalled the 2014 Chibok girls’ abduction, revealing that foreign collaboration failed because Boko Haram had infiltrated the Nigerian military. He urged a thorough cleansing of the armed forces to remove sympathisers of terror groups.
Furthermore, Akinyemi advised the government to show genuine resolve in tackling insecurity to prevent foreign intervention, warning that continued inaction could lead to catastrophic consequences for the nation.
“If you want to stop Trump from doing what he says he wants to do, the Nigerian administration must show a determination to clean out this ourselves.
“If we don’t get any assistance and we don’t have the ability and the willingness to confront these things, we’re going to die,” Akinyemi warned.
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