Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo has said that Nigeria’s security crisis is far more complex than a conflict between Christians and Muslims.
Speaking during a media chat on Sunday, Soludo noted that U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to “protect Christians in Nigeria” oversimplifies the country’s multifaceted security challenges.
He added that while the United States is entitled to express opinions on global issues, any form of intervention must adhere to international law and respect Nigeria’s sovereignty.
“As a country, America has its own rights to have its own views about what is going on elsewhere,” he said.
“But when it comes to what it does, I am sure it must also act within the realm of international law.”
The governor urged the Nigerian government to initiate a “deeper conversation” to address the concerns raised, emphasizing the need for accurate presentation of facts.
According to Soludo, most of the killings in the South-East are not religiously motivated but stem from internal conflicts.
“People are killing themselves — Christians killing Christians,” he said.
“The people in the bushes are Emmanuel, Peter, John — all Christian names — and they have maimed and killed thousands of our youths. It has nothing to do with religion.”
He stated that any foreign assistance to Nigeria should come through formal requests for military aid, technology, or equipment, not through external threats or coercion.
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Soludo rejected the idea of an invasion, arguing that it would be equally illogical for African nations to threaten military action against the United States over incidents of racial violence.
“You had policemen killing some blacks… I remember the #BlackLivesMatter protest, and somebody would say maybe Africa should go and invade America because blacks are being killed? I’m not quite sure,” he said.
He added that national dialogue is the best way forward.
“I think there is a need for deeper conversation,” he said.
“It must end in conversation, and I am sure the government of Nigeria will respond very robustly. Nigeria is such a big country, and the government is doing a whole lot to safeguard it.”
Soludo, who is contesting for re-election next Saturday, emphasised that the South-East is predominantly Christian and warned against mischaracterizing the region’s crisis.
“In this part of the country, we are 95 percent Christian,” he said.
“The people in the bushes killing others bear Christian names; it is wider than the categorisation of Christians and Muslims. Nigeria will overcome, and it will end in conversation.”
