A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adamu Garba, has supported U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim that a genocide is taking place in Nigeria.
Garba made the remarks in a video interview with Trust TV, shared on Facebook on Wednesday, while reacting to the United States’ recent designation of Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern.”
He said that, going by the number of people killed in violent attacks across the country, the situation fits the description of genocide.
“In fact, in 2014, when the APC was still an opposition party, some of its members visited the White House seeking assistance over what they described as the mass killing of Christians in Nigeria as a fallout of the Chibok girls’ abduction. This is established,” he said.
The APC chieftain also recalled that Nigeria recently acquired $346 million worth of weaponry from the U.S. and continues to send military personnel for training as part of diplomatic relations between both countries.
He said the United States, through the United Nations Convention on Counterterrorism, has the global mandate to lead the fight against terrorism.
“Wherever terrorism is identified, the U.S. has what they call the Responsibility to Protect (R2P). This gives them the right to intervene and destroy terrorism,” Garba explained.
He advised the Nigerian government to show readiness to partner with the U.S. in combating terrorism rather than dismissing the country’s concerns.
“What we should show in our case is commitment and willingness to eliminate terrorism, not to condemn the hand that is coming to help us. We can negotiate with them,” he said.
Garba further urged Nigerian authorities to engage the U.S. diplomatically and acknowledge the scale of killings across the country.
“We can tell them to give us weapons responsibly. We can also explain that the killings are not just about Christians; Muslims are equally affected,” he noted.
The former presidential aspirant lamented the persistent insecurity that has claimed the lives of innocent citizens in several parts of the country.
“When you look at the number of people that have been killed over time in Nigeria — defenceless, in their villages, while sleeping in their homes — what else can you call it for God’s sake?”
“It is pure genocide. Several villages in Katsina, Sokoto, and Zamfara have been destroyed. People are being killed every day,” he added.