Alleged Genocide: Group Urges Tinubu To Resist U.S. Visit, Faults Trump’s Remarks

A group of prominent Nigerians under the aegis of Concerned Nigerian Citizens has urged President Bola Tinubu to shelve any planned visit to the United States, warning that recent comments by U.S. President Donald Trump alleging genocide against Christians in Nigeria were provocative and could worsen religious tensions across the country.

Speaking at a joint press conference in Kaduna on Wednesday, members of the group said the Nigerian government must respond to the country’s security challenges with restraint and maturity rather than succumb to external pressure or threats.

The Concerned Nigerian Citizens is led by a former Secretary of INEC and elder statesman, Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, and includes the former Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme, Professor Usman Yusuf, Dr Aliyu Tilde, Dr Bilkisu Oniyangi, and Barrister Kalli Al-Ghazali.

Addressing journalists on behalf of the group, Dr Oniyangi said Trump’s recent statement on Nigeria’s security situation was “reckless and disrespectful to Nigeria’s sovereignty”, stressing that such rhetoric could inflame existing divisions and play into the hands of groups seeking to destabilise the West African region.

“The recent threats by former U.S. President Donald Trump to reclassify Nigeria as a ‘Country of Particular Concern’ and even consider military intervention are not only provocative but capable of deepening divisions within our country,” Oniyangi said.

“Nigeria’s challenges must be handled with restraint and maturity. We must never bow to external pressure or manipulation.”

Oniyangi added that the group was worried that international actors were increasingly portraying Nigeria’s complex security crisis as a religious war, whereas both Christians and Muslims had been victims of terrorism, banditry, and violent crime in recent years.

“Those who kill us do not care about our faith. This battle is between peace-loving Nigerians on one hand and killers on the other. The attempt to frame it as a genocide against one religion is both inaccurate and dangerous,” she said.

The group advised President Tinubu to focus on strengthening national security and rebuilding public confidence rather than embarking on foreign trips at a time the country is grappling with widespread insecurity.

“The President’s prime responsibility is to work for Nigerians and assure us that our safety will now be his highest priority. He should resist the temptation to visit the U.S. or any country for now and concentrate on restoring peace and order,” she added.

The Concerned Nigerian Citizens acknowledged that several countries, including the United States, China, the United Kingdom, and Russia, had expressed concern over Nigeria’s worsening security challenges but stressed that what the country needed was partnership and technical cooperation, not threats or sanctions.

“Nigeria must engage the world from a position of dignity. We expect the U.S. to withdraw its threats and instead assist Nigeria through strategic cooperation aimed at defeating terrorists and criminal networks across the country,” Oniyangi said.

The group also criticised Nigeria’s political leadership for failing to address the root causes of insecurity, including poverty, unemployment, corruption, and weak governance.

“The real tragedy is that Nigerians, and particularly our leaders, are responsible for our circumstances today,” the group’s statement added.

“We have been poorly led while we died and bled in the hands of killers. Nigerians must now speak as one and demand that those responsible for protecting us do their jobs.”

It called on President Tinubu to address the nation directly to reassure citizens of his administration’s commitment to security and unity.

“Our independence and unity have been tested many times. This time too, we will pull through, but the support of genuine friends and allies is vital,” she added.

The Whistler online reports that in late October, Trump designated Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern” for religious freedom violations, citing an “existential threat” to Christianity amid what he described as the mass slaughter of thousands of Christians by radical Islamists, including groups like Boko Haram.

One day later, the US President posted on social media, instructing the newly renamed Department of War to prepare for “fast, vicious” military action.

He also threatened to halt all U.S. aid and potentially invade “guns-a-blazing” to eliminate the terrorists if the Nigerian government failed to act decisively.

But President Bola Tinubu had rejected the claims as misleading and simplistic, insisting that violence in the north-central region stems from multifaceted conflicts involving herder-farmer disputes, banditry, and extremism that targets both Muslims and Christians indiscriminately.

Tinubu, however, welcomed collaborative counter-terrorism efforts that respect sovereignty.
But the Concerned Nigerian Citizens urged Nigerians to avoid sectarian arguments and instead unite behind common demands for effective governance and accountability.

“Foreign interference must never be mistaken for a solution to Nigeria’s problems. We must find our own answers as a people,” the group noted.