Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), has urged the Federal Government to take decisive steps to counter what he described as a “false narrative” of a Christian genocide in Nigeria, warning that the country’s silence is fuelling misinformation abroad.
“According to Professor Jibrin Ibrahim, a respected intellectual, this campaign of Christian genocide in Nigeria has been prosecuted for eight years without any challenge from the government,” Falana said. “People go to the United States, come back and continue spreading this narrative without any response from our officials.”
The Senior Advocate said rather than reacting emotionally to recent remarks by former U.S. President Donald Trump, the Nigerian government should address internal failings that have allowed such perceptions to grow.
“Instead of losing sleep over Mr. Trump’s comments, we must ask ourselves where we made errors. Someone must be honest,” he stated.
Falana argued that those perpetrating violence in parts of the country are not motivated by religion but by economic interests tied to land and livestock.
“Those who are killing are not doing so because of religion,” he said. “They are killing to expand land, to graze their animals. This problem persists because we still allow open grazing, even though both the Southern and Northern Governors’ Forums agreed that open grazing should be banned.”
He faulted the government for failing to enforce the agreement, noting that open grazing continues even in the nation’s capital.
“On my way to Abuja yesterday, I saw cattle on the airport road. Nigeria is the only country in the world where that happens. You even find them grazing along the National Assembly road,” he said.
Falana maintained that ranching remains the best solution to the farmer-herder crisis but accused the government and herders’ associations of frustrating its implementation.
“In modern societies, you have enclosed ranches where grass and water are provided. Even the children of herders can go to school there. Why then do members of Miyetti Allah and the government refuse to establish ranches across the country?” he asked.
The rights lawyer also decried the rising cases of kidnapping and the authorities’ failure to use technology to trace perpetrators.
“How can you have a modern state that allows bandits to kill citizens without any attempt to identify or locate them?” Falana asked.
“Today, technology has advanced to the extent that wherever a phone call is made, it can be traced. Yet, families of kidnapped victims are left to raise ransom money instead of security agencies tracking the criminals.”
He said the continued payment of ransom only makes kidnapping more profitable.
“Once the victims’ families are contacted, the police should swing into action — not wait for ransom collection. Otherwise, kidnapping becomes a lucrative business, and that is why we are in trouble,” he warned.
Falana concluded by urging the Nigerian government to defend the country’s sovereignty and reputation in the face of international criticism.
“We have brought this embarrassment upon ourselves as a people. We are being treated like a colony of the United States. We cannot even challenge Mr. Trump — how dare you? Where is this hypocrisy coming from?” he asked.