The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has urged United States President Donald Trump to refrain from making statements that could provoke a religious conflict in Nigeria.
The student body described Trump’s claim of genocide against Christians in Nigeria as a “pure fallacy”.
NANS said Nigeria, like many other nations, is facing serious internal security challenges such as terrorism, banditry, and kidnapping.
It warned that portraying these issues as targeted religious attacks could create unnecessary tension and division among citizens.
Students fault Trump’s ‘genocide’ claim
President Trump had recently described Nigeria as a country of “particular concern,” alleging an ongoing genocide against Christians.
He further revealed that he had alerted the Pentagon and was prepared to send the U.S. military to intervene.
In reaction, NANS, through its National Vice President for Inter-Campus and Gender Affairs, Akinbodunse Sileola Felicia, criticised Trump’s statement on Thursday.
She said giving religious colour to Nigeria’s security crisis could worsen distrust and fuel disunity among the people.
Akinbodunse emphasised that Nigerians have coexisted peacefully despite their religious differences and should not allow external influences to divide them.
She also challenged President Trump to show genuine concern for Nigerian Christians by making U.S. visas free for them, instead of “fanning the flames of religious discord.”
Call for stronger action against insecurity
The student leader noted that both Christians and Muslims have suffered from terrorism and other violent crimes in Nigeria. She questioned why President Trump singled out Christians as the only victims of insecurity.
Akinbodunse urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration to intensify efforts against insecurity, particularly in Plateau and Benue States.
She concluded that only a total defeat of insurgency and an end to the killings across the country would disprove Trump’s “false genocide narrative.”