The Christian Association of Nigeria in the 19 northern states and the Federal Capital Territory, together with bishops under the Ecumenical Synods of Bishops, Archbishops, Apostles and Senior Clergy, has rejected United States President Donald Trump’s claim that US military intervention had brought an end to the killing of Christians in Nigeria.
The religious leaders described the assertion as inaccurate, misleading and disconnected from the realities of Nigeria’s security situation, warning that such claims risk downplaying the ongoing violence affecting communities across the country.
Trump made the remarks during an event in Washington on Friday, where he said US intervention had played a decisive role in stopping attacks allegedly directed at Christian populations, especially in areas troubled by insurgency and extremist violence.
“As you know, we recently struck Nigeria and largely ended the slaughter of great Christian populations,” the US President said.
He claimed that before the intervention, widespread attacks had claimed the lives of thousands of innocent people, including women, children and the elderly.
“They have a great Christian population. They were being butchered, thousands and thousands of people were being killed, children, women, old people, just being slaughtered, hacked to death,” he added.
Trump further said the military operation dealt a major blow to those responsible for the attacks.
“They know that if they go further, the attack will be far greater and that they don’t want to really get involved anymore so much. We hit them very hard. We knocked out their leader. We knocked out their second leader and their third leader,” the US President said.
Reacting to the statement, the CAN Chairman for the 19 northern states and the Federal Capital Territory, Joseph Hayab, disagreed with Trump’s position, insisting that insecurity continues to affect Nigerians regardless of religion, with killings and abductions still taking place in many parts of the country.
Speaking with Sunday PUNCH on Saturday, Hayab said the true measure of any improvement in security should come from those directly affected by the violence, particularly Nigerian Christians and other victims of insecurity.
He argued that Trump’s comments appeared to be politically motivated and based on inaccurate briefings from advisers unfamiliar with Nigeria’s security realities.
“The right people who should tell whether Trump has succeeded should be Nigerian Christians or Northern Christians, not Trump himself. But probably he is getting his information from the wrong source. I think some of his political claims are not good enough to resolve things.
“Trump should allow the victims to make that confession, not him. The victims are the right people who can tell whether whatever he has done has yielded any success,” he said.
Although he acknowledged recent US military operations against terrorist groups, Hayab maintained that the attacks on innocent Nigerians had not stopped.
“The strategy Trump’s America is adopting is not good enough because after the US forces struck in Sokoto last December, they went on a long recess. They came recently again and killed some ISIS commanders, but people are still being killed here every day,” he said.
“We don’t know those who are advising or telling him stories that are not true. If they want to truly bring an end to the killing of innocent Nigerians, let them stop the propaganda or the media story and focus on the reality, because I’m not sure the victims would like this kind of claim.
“I think he needs to be properly informed about what is happening rather than claiming what is not, because if someone is still sick and in hospital and you claim that he has recovered, it means you have either been misinformed or you probably do not understand what it means to be ill.
“We want help, but the help shouldn’t be propaganda. It should be genuine help, not propaganda or misinformation. All those people who are still in bandits’ captivity in Oyo, Kwara and Kogi, what has happened? People are still in Kwara, Katsina, Borno and other states. Trump and his men can find a better story.
“We want help to bring an end to the killings, not Trump making claims for political gains. Those who are giving him information are not giving him the right one,” he added.
The Ecumenical Synods of Bishops, Archbishops, Apostles and Senior Clergy also questioned Trump’s claim, saying there was no convincing evidence that the reported US intervention had achieved the results being portrayed.
Speaking with Sunday PUNCH on Saturday, the group’s International Secretary, Archbishop Osazee William, said Nigerians had expected a stronger and more effective intervention capable of addressing the underlying causes of insecurity and safeguarding vulnerable communities.
“I don’t seem to agree with him because, in the first place, I have yet to see evidence of that claim. I think there was a kind of warning strike in Sokoto, but I didn’t see any visible killing.
“This is not the kind of intervention we were hoping and looking forward to. We are looking at a good intervention. I saw what we had after that time,” he added.
William also raised concerns over reports suggesting that behind the scenes negotiations may have influenced the US approach to issues affecting Nigeria.
While acknowledging that the reported military action may have sent a message, he said it did not produce the outcome many Nigerians had expected.
“It has been rumoured that there has been a kind of high-level bargain to make the guy (Trump) soft-pedal on the issues that are paramount in the hearts of everyone in Nigeria. Is it true?
“Yes, he made the statement, but that statement alone is not good enough because the aftermath makes it clear that it (airstrike) had not really done the job we are expecting.”
The bishops called for sustained and practical efforts by both Nigerian authorities and the international community to address insecurity and better protect lives and property across the country.
