…Seek Kanu’s Release, Southern Presidency In 2027
Leaders of the Southern and Middle Belt regions on Tuesday expressed deep concern over the recent designation of Nigeria by United States President Donald Trump as a Country of Particular Concern over alleged persecution of Christians.
They described the move as a “wake-up call” for the federal government to end the ongoing insecurity and killings across the country.
The leaders, under the umbrella of the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum (SMBLF), made the call at their National Caucus meeting held on Saturday, November 1, 2025, in Abuja.
NewsNGRonline reports that Trump, in a post on his Truth Social platform on Friday, claimed that Christianity was facing an existential threat in Nigeria, accusing radical Islamists of orchestrating the “mass slaughter” of Christians across the country.
“Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter. I am hereby making Nigeria a ‘country of particular concern,’” Trump wrote.
The U.S. president also directed Congressmen Riley Moore and Tom Cole, alongside the House Appropriations Committee, to investigate the situation and report back to him.
However, a communiqué issued at the end of the meeting by its National Spokesman, Luka Binniyat, in Kaduna on Tuesday and signed by Oba Oladipo Olaitan (Afenifere), Dr Bitrus Pogu (Middle Belt Forum), Senator John Azuta-Mbata (Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide), and Ambassador Godknows Igali (PANDEF), outlined the Forum’s position on key national issues, including insecurity, justice, national unity, and the 2027 presidential election.
The Forum said while it opposed any foreign military intervention in Nigeria, the Trump administration’s designation should prompt urgent action from the Federal Government to address what it called “the ongoing mayhem and killings in several parts of the country.”
“The SMBLF notes with very serious concern the designation by the US President Donald Trump of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern over religious persecution against Christians,” the communiqué read.
“However, we consider this a wake-up call to the Federal Government to pursue, with a sense of urgency and responsibility, halting the ongoing mayhem and killings.”
The group urged the Federal Government to disarm and prosecute known militias, killer herdsmen, and Islamist terrorists, and to restore “occupied lands to their rightful owners of all faiths and ethnic nationalities, especially in Benue, Plateau, Southern Kaduna, Taraba, Gombe, Southern Borno, Southern Kebbi, and other affected parts of the country.”
While acknowledging the recent reshuffling of the Service Chiefs, the SMBLF urged President Bola Tinubu to extend reforms to the Office of the National Security Adviser, the Minister of Defence, and the Minister of State for Defence, to reflect Nigeria’s diversity and promote inclusivity in national security management.
“This will not only ensure a comprehensive overhaul of the national defence architecture but also reflect the diversity of the country,” the leaders said.
The Forum also revisited the prolonged detention and prosecution of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader, Nnamdi Kanu, insisting that his release would help promote peace and national reconciliation.
Reaffirming its commitment to Nigeria’s unity, the SMBLF said it did not support any move to dismember the federation but maintained that the treatment of Kanu and his supporters had deepened ethnic mistrust and disaffection.
“The SMBLF restates its commitment to the unity and continued coexistence of the Nigerian Federation, wherein every citizen and constituent ethnic nationality will be equally respected and have a genuine sense of belonging.
“It recalls that the agitations of Nnamdi Kanu and his group were initially peaceful but were radicalised by ill-advised and excessive military responses, codenamed Operation Crocodile Smile and Operation Python Dance by the erstwhile Buhari administration,” the Forum stated.
The group noted that Kanu’s agitation and the calls for his release had persisted despite his protracted trial since 2021, urging President Tinubu to demonstrate statesmanship by directing the Attorney-General of the Federation to activate the constitutional mechanism for Kanu’s release.
“The President, as the father of the nation, should adopt a nationalist approach to bring this matter to a close,” the communiqué added.
“His release will be a salutary directive in the interest of the most needed national rehabilitation and peace.”
On the forthcoming 2027 general election, the SMBLF reaffirmed its 2021 position that the Nigerian presidency must rotate to the South, insisting that the principle of rotation and zoning remained essential to national stability.
“The Forum recalls its decision in 2021 that the President of Nigeria in the 2023 election should be from the Southern part of the country, in demonstration of our commitment to restructuring and national stability,” the communiqué said.
“It now further resolves that the decision should remain applicable to the 2027 Presidential Election for the same reasons.”
The group commended political parties that had already aligned with what it described as “an established national political culture” and urged others to do the same.
“The SMBLF enjoins all political parties and actors to respect this principle in the interest of fairness and unity,” the communique added. ENDS.Leaders of the Southern and Middle Belt regions on have expressed deep concern over the recent designation of Nigeria by United States President Donald Trump as a Country of Particular Concern over alleged persecution of Christians.
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