Gov. Charles Soludo of Anambra has dismissed claims of an ongoing religious genocide in Nigeria’s South East, saying the spate of violence in the region is not connected to religion.
Soludo stated this during a media chat aired live on Channels Television, while reacting to comments credited to former U.S. President Donald Trump, who alleged that Christians were being killed in Nigeria and threatened possible U.S. intervention.
The governor said although the United States had the right to express opinions on global issues, its actions must align with international law and facts on the ground.
“There is a deeper conversation and introspection about what goes on in this country. In this part of the world — eastern Nigeria — it is not religious,” Soludo said.
He explained that most of the perpetrators and victims of the crisis in the region were Christians.
“People are killing themselves — Christians killing Christians. The people in the bushes are Emmanuel, Peter, and John, all Christian names, and they have maimed and killed thousands of our youths. It has nothing to do with religion,” he said.
Soludo added that about 95 percent of people in the South East are Christians, noting that violence in the area stems from political and social factors rather than faith differences.
“It is wider than the categorisation of Christians and Muslims. Nigeria will overcome, and it will end in conversation,” the governor said.
He urged both local and international actors to look beyond religious narratives and focus on addressing the underlying political, social, and economic causes of the crisis through dialogue and reconciliation.