The Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) on Monday condemned as “reckless and deeply provocative” the recent comments by United States President Donald Trump, who threatened military action against Nigeria over alleged “genocide against Christians.”
The group described the remarks as “false, misleading, and dangerously divisive,” insisting that the portrayal of Nigeria’s insecurity as religious persecution does not reflect the realities on the ground.
Speaking at a press briefing in Abuja, the CNG’s National Coordinator, Comrade Jamilu Charanchi, said Trump’s comments were capable of inflaming sectarian tensions at a time when the country is working to unite against insecurity and extremism.
He noted that in 2024 alone, 9,662 people were killed in violent incidents nationwide, with 86 percent of the deaths occurring in the northern region, 41 percent in the North-West, 25.9 percent in the North-East, and 19.3 percent in the North-Central.
He said, “Trump’s outburst followed a manipulated petition engineered by Amnesty International, using the voice of its Nigeria Country Director, Isa Sunusi, cynically deployed to give credibility to a toxic Western narrative.
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“This petition, dressed up as ‘human rights advocacy,’ is part of a broader campaign to vilify Nigeria and justify foreign interference under humanitarian pretences. Let us be clear: there is no genocide against Christians in Nigeria. There is a national security crisis affecting all Nigerians, Muslims, Christians, and others alike”.
Citing verified data from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED), Charanchi said between January 2020 and September 2025, more than 20,400 civilians were killed in violent attacks across Nigeria.
Of the incidents where religion could be verified, 317 Christian deaths and 417 Muslim deaths were recorded, a clear indication, he said, that both communities suffer the consequences of insecurity.
He added, “Foreign Manipulation and Hidden Motives. The claim of a ‘Christian genocide’ is not a misunderstanding; it is a strategic deception. It serves geopolitical interests aimed at destabilizing Nigeria and justifying future interventions.
“For decades, the United States and its allies have used ‘human rights’ as camouflage for resource control and political dominance from Iraq to Libya. They create a moral crisis, weaponized global outrage, and then move in under the guise of “liberation.” Nigeria will not be the next experiment.
“Trump’s sudden concern for ‘persecuted Christians’ is a smokescreen. His record shows indifference to African lives. What truly offends him is Nigeria’s growing diplomatic independence, our increasing ties with China, Russia, and the Global South, and our resistance to neo-colonial pressure”.
Charanchi referenced security analyst Bulama Bukarti, who warned in October 2025 that changing service chiefs without institutional reform would not solve Nigeria’s insecurity, stressing that the crisis was not a religious war but one of weak governance and institutional decay.
CNG also recalled the Zaria massacre of December 2015, where over 340 members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), mostly Shiite Muslims, were killed.
The group also faulted the U.S. and its Western allies for maintaining silence despite documented evidence by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.
It accused Western governments of turning a blind eye to the violent activities of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), alleging that the group has killed over 600 Northerners since 2021 through targeted attacks, ambushes, and the enforcement of illegal sit-at-home orders in the South-East.
CNG warned that failure to manage Nigeria’s security challenges and shape its own narrative could trigger wider instability across the Sahel region.
“While foreign actors romanticize IPOB as victims, they ignore the group’s atrocities against Northerners. Trump and his enablers choose silence because it doesn’t fit their pre-packaged narrative.
“The coalition of Northern Groups will continue to stand for truth, justice, and national sovereignty. We will not remain silent while foreign powers insult our dignity, distort our reality, and play politics with our blood. May Almighty God console all vertigo, Muslim and Christian alike, and grant our leaders the wisdom to steer this nation toward peace and justice,” he said.
