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Former military officer, General Olayemi Lasisi Abidoye (retired), has criticised the seeming silence of church leaders and the political class over a reported threat by the United States to attack Nigeria on allegations of genocide against Christians in the northern part of the country. Speaking with the Nigerian Tribune, the retired officer, who is also the immediate past president of the Omu Aran Development Association, said insurgents usually attack environments with the aim of destabilising the system, stressing that there is no genocide against Christians in Nigeria. “If you listen to many of the people in the political opposition, they have not seen anything wrong in what President Trump said… as if this country doesn’t belong to them also,” he said. “I’ve seen posts on social media where pastors claim it’s genocide against Christians. We should be truthful and not sentimental. “If someone calls himself a pastor, a man of God, he should be fair. But if a man makes videos claiming that only Christians are being killed, where? ALSO READ: Trump’s threat: Lawyer urges Tinubu to act now against insecurity “To me, the silence of politicians is what’s annoying. We should not play politics with this. We should not politicise our sovereignty or our security. “Everyone should stand up and speak the truth, whether Muslim or Christian. If we all speak in unison that there is nothing like that, it will be taken as the real situation. “Surely, I expected the representatives of Christians, especially the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), to have spoken on this. They have the capacity to douse the tension. They should make it clear that the allegations are false. Foreigners should not cry more than the bereaved. “That silence is not right. If Christians in Nigeria come out to tell Mr Trump there’s no genocide against Christians, I don’t think he’ll say they’re lying, he shouldn’t cry more than the bereaved.” The retired general also alleged that there was a hidden political agenda behind the reported U.S. threat, noting that the country had been silent during periods of worse insecurity. “That’s my opinion. I believe there’s a political agenda. Because even when it was worse than this, they didn’t cry wolf. So, why now? At the initial stage of Boko Haram, if they had raised this alarm six months into the insurgency, we would have believed they were being sincere.” Abidoye further questioned the genocide claim, saying the narrative was being pushed to destabilise Nigeria. “You are also in Nigeria. From every indication, can you say there is any genocide against Christians in Nigeria? “The aim of that message is to destabilise our government. We’ve had insurgency under both PDP and APC governments, and it’s still ongoing,” he said. He added that insurgents are strategic and exploit religion and ethnicity to create divisions. “Insurgents may appear in rags, but they are sophisticated. They know what can stir up conflict in any country. Initially, they attacked churches, but when the religious tactic failed, they turned to total warfare, attacking everyone. “Many mosques were bombed at the peak of the crisis, even during Jumat prayers in Kano and other places. At the epicentre of banditry, North-East and North-West, Muslims are the majority. Now, can a bullet distinguish between a Muslim and a non-Muslim? Certainly not. “If we are to be factual, Muslims have even suffered more casualties. Yoruba people always say: when the rain falls, it falls on everyone.” General Abidoye added that those pushing the “Christian genocide” narrative have ulterior motives. “The UN recognises the sovereignty of every nation, which must be respected. Nigeria is a sovereign state. How can the U.S. threaten to attack Nigeria? That would violate our sovereignty. “If Trump truly loves Nigeria and Christians, there are better ways to assist, why not support Nigeria rather than threaten it? As General Abdulsalami Abubakar rightly said recently, what we need is unity and wisdom to overcome our challenges.” NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
