Ex-SGF Backs Trump’s Genocide Claim

Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, has accused the administration of President Bola Tinubu of failing to protect Christians in northern Nigeria, backing Donald Trump’s allegations of Genocide.

The U.S. President Trump had recently threatened military action in Nigeria over what he described as the “Christian genocide” in Africa’s most populous nation.

The Nigerian government has, however, repeatedly denied the existence of a Christian genocide, insisting that killings across the country are perpetrated by terrorists with no particular group as their target.

However, Lawal, who spoke on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday, said killings of Christians in the North have become widespread and deliberate, claiming that the Muslim–Muslim ticket adopted by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2023 has emboldened religious extremists.

“Christians are being killed massively in the North. It is a genocide. If it is not a genocide, it is a pogrom. The Muslim fundamentalists feel now that it is their government, so they are doing whatever they want without restraint,” he said.

The former SGF, who served under Late ex-President Muhammadu Buhari, said the trend of insecurity worsened after Tinubu assumed office.

He argued that while Buhari’s administration managed to restore relative calm to places such as Adamawa and surrounding areas, renewed attacks have now forced communities back into fear.

“By the time Buhari was leaving, Adamawa was completely peaceful. Now, there are new skirmishes. People are being driven from their lands and killed. It wasn’t like that before,” Lawal said.

He described Tinubu’s government as “completely evil,” contrasting it with Buhari’s tenure, which he said, despite its shortcomings, maintained equity and fairness.

“There’s no point taking out Bola Tinubu if what you are bringing is a more evil government. This government is not interested in fairness, justice, or fighting corruption.”

When asked whether his comments were too strong, Lawal insisted that his assessment was based on fact and experience.

He claimed that the Fulani herders and armed groups responsible for many attacks in the North operate with heavy weapons and coordination that suggest external funding and state complicity.

“You can’t tell me that a bush Fulani man suddenly gets drones and one kilometre of bullet chains. Somebody somewhere is funding and arming them. And the government’s inaction only encourages them.”

He also lamented that soldiers continue to lose their lives to Nigeria’s lingering insecurity because the government had left them with outdated weapons to fight terrorists equipped with more sophisticated arms.

He rejected the argument that the violence is mere criminality, maintaining that the attacks target Christian communities intentionally.

“If you go to a Christian village in Benue and kill everyone, you can’t say you didn’t know who lives there. It’s deliberate. It’s faith-based,” he said.

On another note, he accused people within the political class of using “structures” not to build democracy, but to rig elections.

“Structures are used to rig elections, not to win them. During Buhari’s time, he would always say, ‘Let us respect Nigeria’s voters.’ That was his position. But now, we’ve lost that moral discipline,” he noted.

Lawal also said that if the government continues to suppress peaceful change through flawed elections, Nigerians may be forced into desperate options. He further dismissed suggestions that his political alliance was merely formed to unseat Tinubu in 2027, saying his concern goes beyond individuals.

“My own is more global. There’s no point removing Tinubu if you are replacing him with a worse system,” he noted.

On the call by U.S. President Donald Trump to classify Nigeria as a “country of particular concern” over religious persecution, The former SGF, who is now a member of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), said such foreign intervention is the result of government failure to protect citizens.

“If the American Christians decide to come to the aid of Nigerian Christians because they are in distress, that is theological. It’s the doctrine of Christian brotherhood,” he said.

He urged the Nigerian government to guarantee security for all citizens rather than dismissing legitimate fears.

“Forget all the arguments about genocide or pogrom. All we are asking is that government should protect lives and property. That’s the least any government owes its people,” he said.