ABUJA, Nigeria — Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, has claimed that a delegation of the All Progressives Congress (APC) — including President Bola Tinubu — was among those who first alerted the United States government to alleged killings of Christians in Nigeria years ago.
Lawal made the disclosure during an interview on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme, on Monday, November 10, 2025, while reacting to recent comments by US President Donald Trump, who threatened possible military action over alleged persecution of Christians in Nigeria.
Trump had directed the US Department of Defense to “prepare for possible action” in the country, warning the Nigerian government to stop what he described as “the killing of Christians.”
The Nigerian government has since dismissed the allegation, insisting that insecurity affects citizens of all faiths.
Lawal said Trump’s claims were not new, recalling that the APC had raised similar concerns with the US government during Goodluck Jonathan’s presidency.
“Trump might be right or not, but recall that there was a delegation that first went to the United States to tell, I think Obama then, that Christians were being slaughtered in Nigeria,” he said.
“It included this man, the president (Tinubu), that APC delegation. I saw the picture: Buhari was there, Amaechi was there. I think he (Tinubu) was even the one sitting close to the president when they went to lobby the Americans that the Goodluck Jonathan government was carrying out genocide in Nigeria.”
The former SGF added that regardless of political or religious framing, the government’s primary duty is to ensure the protection of lives and property.
“Forget about genocide or no genocide in Nigeria. The issue is that the government must guarantee the security of our lives and property. That’s all we want from government,” he said.
Lawal, who has been a vocal critic of the Tinubu administration, said the current government had yet to demonstrate the capacity to address the country’s worsening security challenges and growing religious tensions.
The Nigerian government maintains that the country’s security challenges are being confronted “holistically,” and that there is no targeted campaign against Christians or Muslims.
