₦airaland Forum

From ash-Shafi'ee rahimahuLlaah who said:

"I left something in al-'Irāq called at-taghbeer (musical instrument) which was invented by the heretics to lure the people away from the Qur'an".

(Sahih, related by Abu Nu'aym in al-Hilyah (9/146)

Note: At-Taghbeer (it is hitting with sticks, it is an musical instrument what accompanies the musical composition of songs (Al-Istiqâmah) so as to divert people from listening to the Noble Qurân.”

[Ibn Al-Jawzi, in Talbees Ibless p. 257]

Violence always comes home

It was July of 2009 when daring and brutal attacks by Boko Haram terrorist group in Maiduguri made news headlines. I was a sophomore in the University then, and we learnt that it all started from a funeral procession by the group at a checkpoint in Gamboru Gala, Maiduguri. They were stopped by security operatives of the then Operation Flush meant to provide security to the state. The stop was largely routine but the group resisted (I admit that I may never be privy to the full details of what transpired there). Till date there are mixed accounts on who took the first shot between the group and security operatives, but the clash lead to the killíng of some of them and injuring others. The retaliation ordered by their leader lead to the brutal attacks on security installations and government structures in about 4 Northern states. This was the first phase of events to unfold.

The founder of the terrorist organisation, late Muhammad Yusuf, started his activity publicly much earlier in around 2002, renouncing western education as well as the constitution-inclined Nigerian Government. So he had 7 years to preach, recruit and even arm his group (much later) and little was done about them. To be fair, they didn't start with violence, but extremism always has one inevitable end point - violence. The tell tale signs of the group's degeneration into violent confrontations had always been there from the beginning. This was why scholars took it upon themselves to protect people from their misguidance and also warn the government to nip them in the bud. Videos of Sheikh Pantami engaging Muhammad Yusuf in a debate are still out there. Sheikh Ja'far Mahmud Adam and Sheikh Muhammad Auwal Albani Zaria were also among vocal voices to stem the tide of their misguidance spreading. Unfortunately, the latter duo were gruesomely murdéred by the terrorists in 2007 and 2014 respectively.

You will wonder what the government did about them all these while? While you will expect a more proactive response, they (State government) were in fact caught in bed with the group. Mind you, in the early days there was no violence attached to their preaching and it was then sometimes simply referred to as the Yusufiyya movement. In 2003, a certain Governor (and yeah I am being cautious in my choice of words for obvious reasons) made a pact with the group for electoral purposes. If they supported his campaign, he promised to support their cause in various ways, and they did support him. Some reports even show that a member of their group was appointed as a commissioner in his government.

You see, the Nothern elites are one of the biggest reason for the backwardness seen in the North. By Elites here I am largely referring to the politicians and their cronies. Their own style of politics is selfish and self-centered, and they stand the greatest beneficiaries of a large population largely impoverished for it makes it easy for them to perpetuate themselves in Northern politics even if all they do is sprinkle crumbs on the populace. All you have to do is romanticise the people's religious and ethnic sentiments and point at other people as their enemy and you appear like a saviour. I have seen this play out in other regions of the country but the North is the worst hit in my humble opinion. People will rather blame the president for the inactions of their Local Government Chairman or Governor. I will always argue that sentimental attachments are vulnerabilities that make people more prone to indoctrination than a lack of education will. Have we not seen people in the South East support the actions of the so called Unknown Gunmen and even the recently convicted leader of the IPOB group despite irrefutable evidence for masterminding violent crimes? Are they also uneducated? Humans will support evil if it suits their biases and people with violent inclinations find such people and manipulate them. The South West dodged a bullet in swiftly arresting the Igboho agitation, and it is not as if they weren't also bedeviled by sentiments (many did and probably still do support him), the government was swift in response and the south Western elites who seem a little bit more progressive in thought than the other regions supported the FG.

Now you see how this connects back to my story. At a time when the extreme inclinations of a group should have been nipped in the bud, a sitting Governor was in bed with them, using them as political henchmen, making promises even he knew he couldn't keep, only to discard them later. After the Gamboru incident and the ensuing violence across some Northern States, soldiers stepped in to quell the unrest leading to the eventual capture of their leader, Muhammad Yusuf. The soldiers then handed him over to the police who, perhaps out of pain for what he and his followers did to other security operatives, summarily executed him without a trial. Rumours had it that his killing had other undertones, such as to prevent the naming of collaborators, who to this day I believe exist!

The executiòn of Muhammad Yusuf captured in a video that was later circulated, allowed his then deputy, Abubakar Shekau, to assume leadership and create a formal terrorist group that saw themselves at war with the government, partly in retaliation for the killing of their leader, and establishing their extreme Islamic ideologies. This is how we got here!

This post is intended to be a means of education, but I wouldn't end it without making some salient points.

1. Violence almost always consumes first the supporters and sympathisers while the real architects typically are spared because they are usually cautious. While others support it out of sentiments, the main actors do so out of vested interests so they take measures to protect themselves. The then Governor we talked about in this post is still very much around and probably still politically relevant, while the group he once used to attain his political ambitions has metamorphosed into multiple-headed hydra that has eluded all efforts of the Federal Government to quell. Who paid the price the most? Innocent Northerners, a few of whom may have had some sentimental attachment to the group even if in ignorance. Who have suffered the most from the actions of Unknown Gunmen? South Easterners. Be careful when you support and justify violence merely from a sentimental standpoint so you jettison all inclination towards knowledge, wisdom and what is right.

2. Amalgamation of Nigeria was a mistake and the basis for it was purely economics with the British as the sole beneficiaries of that merger with no consideration for our differences. We have struggled since then to keep this fragile unity, but there is too much deception buried underneath. I have traveled through all the regions of this country and I can categorically state that each region is still heavy with ethnic bias against other regions and we see it play out all the time on social media. If we really want to see ourselves as Nigerians we must stop the pretense and embody it. That is why Muslims and Christians will be unfortunate victims of the Boko Haram onslaught but some persons, out of personal sentiments and vested interests, will want to frame this a genocide against a particular religion. A very ridiculous thing to even contemplate.

3. Online, we argue a lot based on ideals, but in the real world it is all about power and who wields it. You can be a terrorist today, but if you win, you might just be regarded as a hero. Don't believe me? Ahmad Al-Sharaa, the current president of Syria was once a leader of Al-Qaeda and a wanted global terrorist, but he eventually captured Syria and he currently aligns with the interest of certain foreign interests. He was recently welcomed with open arms in the Whitè house! My point? If you want to have principles, they should be based on real ideals, not sentiments, and not what the world thinks, because the world is hypocritical, and global politics isn't based on ideals but personal interests. People that support a genocide lack the moral justification to lecture us on what a genocide looks like!

Be careful what you support out of sentiments, it just might consume you!

Abu Imrān

I strongly condemn the deployment of U.S. troops to Nigeria. This move is a dangerous overreach, one that risks reopening the wounds of colonial-era imperial interventions on African soil. We cannot allow newfound interest in Nigeria’s internal political affairs to become a convenient pretext for military involvement—especially when that same urgency was nowhere to be found in Sudan or the DRC.

As reporting from the New York Times shows, U.S. aid cuts under President Trump claimed more Christian lives than any jihadist group ever has. You don’t stabilize Africa with missiles and military boots. You stabilize it with schools, clean water, economic opportunity, and genuine partnership.

The path to lasting peace in Nigeria must be built on dialogue, development, and dignity not domination. America should strive to be a partner in healing, not a hammer looking for a nail.

—Rep. Jacks

Pope Leo XIV, head of the Catholic Church, has pushed back claims that Christians are facing genocide in Nigeria, emphasising that the country’s violence affects Christians, Muslims, and other groups alike.

Read more: https://dailytrust.com/nigerias-violence-affects-christians-muslims-pope/?noamp=available

Documents obtained from the United States Department of Justice (DoJ) reveal that a coalition of pro-Biafra groups is behind the campaign of the ‘Christian genocide in Nigeria’, leading President Donald Trump to declare Nigeria a CPC.
https://guardian.ng/news/biafra-lobby-network-fuelling-christian-genocide-campaign-in-u-s/

*THE WAY OF THE BELIEVERS*

Ibn Shihāb (may ALLĀH have mercy on him) reports: 'Umar Ibn Abd Al-‘Azīz (may ALLĀH have mercy on him) said,

*"The Messenger of ALLĀH (ﷺ) and the authorities (leaders of the Muslims, the Caliphs ) after him set certain ways and practices. To follow those ways is to believe in ALLĀH's Book and to complete ˹ones˺ obedience of HIM, and to be strong upon the religion of ALLĀH. It is not for anyone to alter those ways or change them for something else, and it is not for anyone to consider the views and opinions of those who contradict them. Whoever follows what ˹the Prophet and his Caliphs˺ laid down will be guided, whoever seeks enlightenment through it will be enlightened. But whoever contradicts those ways and follows a way other than the way of the Believers, ALLĀH the Mighty and Majestic will leave him in the path he has chosen and land him in Jahannam (Hell); and what an evil destination that is.'"

*📚 Sharḥ Uṣūl I'tiqād Ahlus-Sunnah (1/94)*

In this statement, Caliph 'Umar ibn Abd Al-Azīz (may ALLĀH have mercy on him) affirms a number of important points related to the creed and methodology of Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jamā'ah – orthodox Islam:

1⃣. The path of guidance, the Sunnah, is what was laid down by the Prophet, as understood and implemented by the Rightly Guided Caliphs and Companions.

2⃣. For a person to truly believe in the Qur'ān, and to be guided, he must adhere to this Sunnah and to it alone.

3⃣. A Muslim is not allowed to innovate in the religion or exchange any part of it for foreign beliefs and ideologies.

4⃣. True enlightenment and insight lies in adhering to this way.

5⃣. A Muslim is not supposed to be interested in and expose himself to the views and opinions of people who go against the Sunnah and way of the Salaf.

6⃣. Going against this way is to follow *"a way other than the way of the Believers"* and take a path to Hell; a reference to al-Qur'ān (4:115) where this principle is evidenced.

A Demand for Accuracy, Not Scapegoats for a Crisis We Created By Gimba Kakanda

The only caution we must all preach in confronting the Frankenstein’s monster that Nigeria’s security crisis has become is the need to tone down the growing conspiracy theories that foreigners masterminded our descent into this chaos. We are not here because of some CIA or Mossad agenda. My point is not to deny that there are agendas designed to widen our divides. Rather, it is to reject the false comfort of outsourcing blame for a crisis whose roots were watered by our own history, our own choices, and our own unresolved grievances.

I say this not as an observer from the sidelines but as someone who has lived in the North all my life and watched its disintegration into an unrecognisable habitat. I lived in Jos for years during one of the most perilous periods to do so, and I saw up close how a wounded community can pass resentment from one generation to the next, each side convinced it is the eternal victim. I saw how a single narrative of injustice, left to fester, becomes a story parents pass to their children, and those children, when grown, retell as truth. That tragedy is the perfect metaphor for Nigeria’s ethno-religious and resource-based tensions today, misunderstandings born from the absence of justice and repeated until they become inherited memory. It is this pattern, not foreigners, that animates so much of the suspicion and hostility that now colours our daily interactions.

We did not get here by accident. Cracks in governance allowed small time criminals to evolve into threats that required military deployment. Those were cockroaches who once barely survived the attention of even a rural police post. So foreign actors did not light this fire. We did. They only took advantage of the fault lines we created over generations.

We may seem like a peculiar study for anthropologists, but there is no grievance we experience in Nigeria now that has not been experienced and managed elsewhere in even worse scales. Boko Haram did not emerge from a vacuum. It was an ideology left to fester until it was too late. Yet its earliest casualties included both the Muslim clerical establishment, political and traditional rulers, from the Sheikh Jaafar Mahmud Adam, down through Major General Mohammed Shuwa, to the Emir of Gwoza, Alhaji Idrissa Timta. All of them were assassinated by those we are expected to believe share a common faith with them.

So no, foreigners are not the masterminds of our dysfunction as a nation. We can resist their attempts to manipulate our narrative without crediting them with a chaos they did not create. The tragedy we face is one of our own making, and no politician, no matter how adored, is insulated from its consequences. The only true profiteers are those hiding in the forests and those who weaponise, finance, and launder money for them.

Our healing begins not with conspiracies but with confronting our own invention and whatever support that comes with it should be accepted. There is no world in which telling a distorted narrative of a crisis that consumes all as one against just one group is a sensible advocacy for solution. That is an invitation for a new layer of chaos.

She said the violence affects both Christians and Muslims, asking the Nigerian government to do more to protect its citizens.

https://www.channelstv.com/2025/11/20/alleged-christian-genocide-trumps-military-threat-to-nigeria-is-reckless-congresswoman/

reccy:
I don't think the Kwara case has anything to do with one religion trying to wipe others.

We have some lunatics looking for a way to destabilize and kidnap people for ransoms. For umpteenth time, these people are Fulani, yes but how people ascribe Fulani to mean Islam or ascribe religion undertone to their actions baffles me.

We can do well by calling the right authorities to take actions and go after these murderers instead of pitching it to one religion trying to erase the other.


It's a disheartening situation that, despite repeatedly attacks and volatile nature of Kwara state, these terrorists operates for more than 30 minutes with no form resistance from security agencies which left one wonders what the kind of security measures the Governments (both state and federal) being implemented.


It's a sad situation!

In Yauri, Kebbi State the Amir of MSSN was abducted and killed by the kidnappers. Yesterday in Zamfara over 64 were abducted guess their faith? Last year when they kidnapped CUSTEch in Kogi State and killed some of them they did so indiscriminately.

The problem we have is the fact that there's no quick response to intelligence report provided by members of communities and intelligence agency, the other day I learnt that a community reported suspicious movements of people in their community but the authorities failed to act on such reports until an attack happened

KEBBI SCHOOL KIDNAP: GOVERNOR FUMES OVER ALLEGED FAILURE TO ACT ON CREDIBLE INTELLIGENCE

Kebbi State Governor, Mohammed Nasir Idris, on Monday night fumed over what he described as failure to act on credible intelligence by the Department of State Services (DSS) that the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, in Danko/Wasagu Local Government Area, was under the threat of attack.

Suspected gunmen had in the wee hours of Monday attacked the school, reportedly shooting dead the vice principal and kidnapping 25 female students. Three of the students managed to escape.

A top security source told http://Pointblanknews.com that Governor Idris, who arrived at the school at about 6.45pm on Monday, accused unnamed security agencies of sabotaging security efforts made by his administration.

"This is clear sabotage. We got credible intelligence from the DSS (Department of State Services) that this school was likely to be attacked. DSS further advised that we convene an emergency Security Council meeting which we did. And the decision was that we would provide round-the-clock protection for the students," said the governor.

He said the he took the DSS report seriously, bearing in mind that the failure to dutifully use a similar intelligence led to the December 2020 kidnap of over 300 pupils of a school in Kankara, Katsina State.

The governor lamented that deployments were made to secure the school. The heavily-armed security men spent time taking photographs with the students, only to abandon them 30 minutes before the attack.

The governor, who was accompanied by security chiefs in the state, announced the setting up of a special investigation panel to unravel how, despite the DSS intelligence, and efforts by the state government, the kidnappers still struck. The panel, which will also oversee the safe return of the kidnapped students, further said the governor, would be headed by the State DSS director.

One of the teachers who managed to escape, told http://Pointblanknews.com
that, given the several armed uniformed men who were deployed to the school on Sunday, and who spent considerable time interfacing with the students and teachers, teaching them emergency drills, he was shocked at the sad turn of events.

"The heavily-armed security men spent the entire night guarding the school. Sadly, for yet-to-be determined reasons, they reportedly left the school before dawn. About 30 minutes after they withdrew, the kidnappers struck, abducting the students," offered the teacher.

"I believe it was the accuracy and credibility of the intelligence supplied by the DSS on the school that made Governor Idris appoint their director to head the special committee he set up.

"The good news is that there is sufficient reason to believe that the girls were kidnapped, not killed. With ongoing efforts by the federal and state governments, we are hopeful that they will all be rescued," he declared.

People like this Paystack co-founder, Ezra Olubi, are inventions of a pop-culture socialisation that suggests you cannot be a genius unless you are unconventional or deviate from established patterns of behaviour. This Hollywood-inspired mythologising of talent has shaped an unfortunate image of those who rise above the ordinary. Yet one can be a genius and still dress conventionally, a genius and subscribe to mainstream beliefs, a genius and uphold common values, a genius and remain mentally stable, a genius and have a conventional sexual orientation, a genius and maintain the grooming and hygiene of an everyday person. We must stop fetishising people of high intellect and rare skill.

The second danger we have enabled is the delusion that one can be anything simply by declaring it. This has encouraged all manner of misfits, from paedophiles to zoophiles, to parade their behavioural flaws as evidence of exceptional intelligence, ability or sense. These performative distortions are what we now celebrate, and a legion of gullible admirers eagerly applaud them.

This warped script is exactly why you have someone like Ezra becoming so self-absorbed that he refers to himself as a “god”, with a cluster of women, either battling low self-esteem or seeking favourable proximity, calling him so. But then again, what sort of god rushes to deactivate his social media accounts for fear of outrage and accountability? Gimba Kakanda

PRESS RELEASE: Angola reminds the world of Murtala Muhammed, Nigeria’s role in Africa’s emancipation

The people and government of Angola recently bestowed an award of honour and recognition on Nigeria’s late former Head of State, General Murtala Muhammed.

The award event which held over the weekend in the Country’s capital – Luanda, was part of activities marking the country’s 50th Independence Anniversary.

The awards event which also had two other Nigerians, former President Olusegun Obasanjo and former Minister of External Affairs, Professor Ibrahim Gambari honoured with awards, recognised the historic contributions of Nigeria to Angola’s liberation struggle and Nigeria’s enduring commitment to African solidarity. The Cable

afrodoc2:
Yeah. That’s correct.

Christian Gourcuff

Troops rescue 15 kidnapped victims in Kogi

By: Zagazola Makama

Joint security forces led by the Nigerian Army rescued 15 kidnapped victims from the forest hideout of their abductors in Ajaokuta and Itobe areas of Kogi State.

Zagazola Makama learnt that the operation was launched based on credible intelligence of the victims’ location, with the use of tear gas to dislodge the kidnappers.

Those rescued included Joe Stephen (35), Gift Alex, Samaila Mohamed, Sani Mahamud, Abbas Sani, Abdullahi Aminu, Ibrahim Gambo, Ishaku Ibrahim, and Muhammed Salisu.

The remaining six victims were responding to treatment in hospitals. Statements were obtained from the rescued individuals, and investigations have commenced.

In a separate rescue along the Ayere–Kabba road, Usman (m, Nasarawa State), Isah Idris (m, Niger State), and Morina William (f, Gombe State) were retrieved from a forest hideout after being abducted on 7 November.

afrodoc2:
Yeah, he was meant to take over from Kaka at Milan and be Zidane's replacement with France. He was like a mix of both, but at a slightly lower level.

His dad is also a coach

Ellexy:
David Hundeyin legit sew thread on X about how the CIA had a hand in Ezra's depravity.

There is definitely an element of truth in what he wrote

Someone who should have been in rehabilitation center for proper treatment is allowed to roam free

Ellexy

https://x.com/DejiAdesogan/status/1989051672149258297?s=20

Ruling on the one who mocks a Muslim woman wearing the proper Islamic Hijab (veil)

Q 2: What is the ruling on someone who mocks a Muslim woman wearing the proper Islamic Hijab (veil) or describes her as being a ghost or a moving tent and other such insulting words?

A: Anyone who mocks a Muslim man or woman for adhering to the Shariah (Islamic law) is a Kafir (disbeliever).

This is regardless of whether they are making fun of a Muslim woman wearing the proper Islamic Hijab or any other matter of the Shari…ah.

…Abdullah ibn …Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrated:

During the campaign of Tabuk a man said in an assembly, …I have never seen anyone like these Qur‘an readers of ours. They have the biggest bellies, the most lying tongues and they are the most cowardly when encountering the enemy.‘

Another man said, …You are lying, and you are a hypocrite. I will most certainly tell the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) [what you have said].‘ The news was reported to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), then the Qur‘an was revealed (concerning this incident).

…Abdullah ibn …Umar said, …I saw him (that man) hanging onto the saddle of the she-camel of the Messenger of Allah, (peace be upon him), stumbling over the stones while saying, …O Messenger of Allah, we were just jesting and playing.‘

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was reciting the Qur‘anic Ayah (verse): Was it at Allah (Exalted and Sublime), and His Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) and His Messenger (peace be upon him) that you were mocking? Make no excuse; you have disbelieved after you had believed. If We pardon some of you, We will punish others amongst you because they were Mujrimun (disbelievers, polytheists, sinners, criminals.)

Thus, ridiculing the believers is equated with ridiculing Allah, His Signs and His Messenger.

May Allah grant us success! May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family and Companions!

Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta‘

Member Member Committee Deputy Chairman Chairman
`Abdullah ibn Qa`ud `Abdullah ibn Ghudayyan `Abdul-Razzaq `Afify `Abdul-`Aziz ibn `Abdullah ibn Baz

Fatwas > Miscellaneous Fatwas (Safar) > Mocking Hijab / The second question of Fatwa no. 4127

Abdullah bn Mas’ud (رضي الله عنه) said:

“Every year that comes will be worse than the one before it, until you meet your Lord.”

-Sunan ad-Darimi, #194.

African Union Commission Reaffirms Commitment to #Nigeria’s Sovereignty, Religious Freedom, and Rule of Law.

The
@_AfricanUnion
Commission (AUC) reiterates its unwavering commitment to the principles of sovereignty, non-interference, religious freedom, and the rule of law, as enshrined in the African Union Constitutive Act and related instruments.

The Commission notes with concern recent statements by the United States of America alleging that the Government of Nigeria is complicit in the targeted killing of Christians and threatening military action. The AUC emphasizes the following:

1. The Federal Republic of Nigeria is a longstanding and valued Member State of the African Union, playing a key role in regional stability, counter-terrorism, peacekeeping initiatives, and continental integration.

2. The AUC fully respects Nigeria’s sovereign right to manage its internal affairs, including security, religious freedom, and human rights, in line with its Constitution and international obligations. Any external engagement must respect Nigeria’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and unity.

3. The Commission supports Nigeria’s repeated affirmation that its Constitution guarantees freedom of religion and belief and that the Government rejects all forms of religious persecution.

4. Nigeria faces complex security challenges affecting citizens of all faiths, including violent extremist groups, banditry, communal violence, and resource-based conflicts. The AUC calls for regional, and international cooperation to support Nigeria and other African countries, in strengthening capacity to respond to insecurity, protect all citizens, uphold human rights, and bring perpetrators of violence to justice.

The AUC remains ready to provide support through its peace and security architecture, capacity-building programs, and strategic partnerships.

5. The AUC rejects any narrative that weaponizes religion or oversimplifies security challenges. Conflating all violence with a single religious-target narrative may hinder effective solutions and destabilize communities.

6. AUC urges external partners, including the United States, to engage Nigeria through diplomatic dialogue, intelligence-sharing, and capacity-building partnerships, while respecting Nigerian sovereignty rather than resorting to unilateral threats of military intervention, which could undermine continental peace, regional stability, and AU norms for peaceful conflict management.

The African Union Commission remains committed to supporting Member States in promoting peace, security, human rights, and development, while upholding sovereignty and non-interference.

The Dangote Refinery has lowered the price of petrol at the gantry to ₦828 per litre, a reduction from the previous cost of ₦877. This change reflects a 5.6% decrease.

Industry insiders have confirmed that NNPC Ltd will be providing the 650,000 barrels-per-day refinery with five crude shipments set to load in December. The shipments will include Amenam, Bonny Light, CJ Blend, Forcados, and Qua Iboe.

The change in pricing aims to offer some relief to fuel marketers and consumers across the country, after experiencing several weeks of high pump prices. Depot operators in Lagos have confirmed that they began loading at the revised price early on Friday, and a similar decrease in prices at retail stations is expected to follow suit in the next few days.

"Plain Rational Truth From A Good Muslim to My Fellow Muslims in Nigeria" was an article purportedly written by Sa'adiyyah Adebisi Hassan.

I do not have problem with this article as there are good Muslims in Nigeria and have many as my friends. I also don't think it was written by the ascribed author.

However I have a challenge as the article missed the issue of framing and opens itself up to serious logical incoherence. I also have a problem as some of my friends bought into the fallacy inherent in the article.

The fact that many perpetrators of violent attacks in northern Nigeria bear Muslim identities does not, and should never, translate to a “Muslim genocide” against Christians.

Such a conclusion is both sociologically and morally unsound. It mirrors the same fallacy as assuming that the criminal gangs, kidnappers, and militants in the South East—who are mostly of Christian background—represent a “Christian genocide” against Muslims or other Nigerians who fall victims. In the South East prominent Priests and doctors and lecturers have fallen victims of violence by criminal gangs. The perpetrators and victims are Christians.

The truth is simpler and more sobering: Nigeria’s killings are driven by multiple fault lines — political, economic, ethnic, and ideological — not purely religious ones.

Yes, extremist groups like Boko Haram, ISWAP, and some violent herder factions have invoked Islam to justify their barbarity. But their victims include not only Christians but also thousands of Muslims — imams, children, traders, and entire communities who refuse to accept extremist teachings. The late Emir of Gwoza, for example, was killed by Boko Haram; countless Muslim clerics and scholars have been executed for opposing jihadist violence.

Similarly, in the South East and parts of the South South, armed groups—composed largely of professing Christians—have abducted and killed fellow Nigerians, including security operatives and clergy.

Yet no reasonable person defines those acts as “Christian terrorism” or “Christian genocide.” These crimes are condemned as what they are: criminality and insurgency, not faith-inspired cleansing.

Religious labeling of violence is dangerous because it fuels collective guilt and moral polarization. It obscures the real culprits — extremists, profiteers of chaos, and political enablers who manipulate identity fault lines to sustain control.

Nigeria’s problem is not Islam or Christianity; it is the exploitation of religion for political and violent ends.

True peace will come when both Christians and Muslims refuse to let their faiths be caricatured by the crimes of a few.

Muslims must continue to confront the extremist distortion of Islam, just as Christians must denounce those who politicize faith for regional violence or hate.

In the end, the killers of Nigerians wear no true religious identity. They are enemies of both faiths — and of our common humanity.

Many Muslims are deeply horrified by the atrocities perpetrated by extremist groups operating in parts of Nigeria. They recognize that the violence has claimed the lives of both Christians and Muslims in nearly equal measure.

Yet, they are often dismayed when some Christian voices frame these killings as an exclusive assault on their faith—overlooking the widespread Muslim casualties and shared suffering.

Such framing risks distorting the broader reality of Nigeria’s insecurity, which is neither a war of religion nor a one-sided persecution, but a complex national tragedy.

By personifying collective pain as faith-specific genocide, we inadvertently deepen mutual suspicion and hinder the solidarity required to confront the true enemies—those who exploit religion, poverty, and governance failures to perpetuate violence.

In truth, Muslims and Christians alike are victims of the same dysfunction. Recognizing this shared vulnerability is not denial of suffering; it is the first step toward collective moral clarity and a united front against extremism in all its forms.

What Nigeria needs now is not competing narratives of victimhood but a renewed interfaith compact rooted in justice, truth, and shared security. Religious leaders, civic actors, and state institutions must collaborate to dismantle the structures that breed extremism—ignorance, inequality, and impunity. Only then can faith reclaim its rightful role as a force for peace, healing, and national renewal.
Charles Chidi Achodo

Stop the propaganda: the Nigerian Army deserves respect, not ridicule

By: Zagazola Makama

It is shameful that some mischievous elements have once again chosen to twist facts and peddle deliberate falsehoods against the Nigerian Armed forces, this time over a genuine operation that saved innocent lives in Kogi State.

On November 2, 2025, gallant troops of 12 Brigade, deployed at Forward Operating Base (FOB) Oguma, successfully rescued two kidnapped victims and recovered ₦3.8 million ransom money from armed criminals in Achigili Forest. This was not a story from “nine months ago” as being falsely claimed by fake news merchants. It happened yesterday, and the operation was verified, documented, and photos with coordinates date and time officially released by the Nigerian Army through its authorized channels.

But in their desperation pattern to discredit the armed forces, certain individuals deliberately edited and circulated a manipulated version of the official release to deceive the public. They even convinced the Twitter Community Note system to label the original post as “misleading,” just to push their anti-military agenda.

Let’s be clear: this is not patriotism, it is a slap in the face of those who risk their lives daily to defend our country. These soldiers operate in dangerous forests, under rain and bullets, just to ensure Nigerians sleep in peace. To trivialize their sacrifices for cheap social media clout is the height of moral bankruptcy.

Even more disgusting is the attempt to link this operation to the recent comments made by U.S. President Donald Trump as though the Nigerian Army needs foreign validation to protect its citizens. The Nigerian Armed Forces have been at the forefront of counterterrorism and counter-banditry long before any foreign politician made a statement. To insinuate otherwise is to insult the blood and sweat of those who have paid the supreme price for this nation.

Those spreading fake news should remember: propaganda can never erase sacrifice. Lies can never bury truth. Every single rescue operation represents the courage, discipline, and professionalism of the Nigerian soldier, not a publicity stunt.

Nigerians must rise above toxic propaganda and stand with their military. The fight against insecurity is not the army’s alone it is a collective responsibility. Supporting fake news only emboldens criminals and weakens national unity.

To the mischief makers: you can edit photos, but you can’t edit reality. The Nigerian Army’s courage remains real, its operations remain active, and its victory stories remain authentic.

Respect our soldiers. Support the truth. Stop spreading lies.

CLARIFICATION ON MISLEADING SOCIAL MEDIA CLAIMS REGARDING RECENT RESCUE OPERATION IN KOGI STATE

The attention of 12 Brigade Nigerian Army has been drawn to a misleading post circulating on social media alleging that the photographs released alongside our recent press statement titled “Troops of 12 Brigade Rescue Two Kidnapped Victims and Recover Ransom in Kogi State” were old images purportedly taken nine months ago.

The Brigade wishes to categorically state that this claim is entirely false and misleading. The images in question are authentic and were captured during the said operation conducted on 2 November 2025 by troops deployed at Forward Operating Base (FOB) Oguma, which led to the rescue of two kidnapped victims and recovery of ransom money at Achigili Forest in Kogi State.

For the avoidance of doubt, the attached photographs contain verifiable geolocation data confirming that they were taken at the precise coordinates of the Forest area, where the operation took place. This serves as clear evidence that the images are genuine, current, and directly linked to the incident as reported.

The Nigerian Army maintains the highest standard of professionalism, integrity, and accountability in all its media engagements. Every photograph or footage released is thoroughly vetted and approved through established operational public relations procedures before dissemination.

The false narrative being circulated on social media is, therefore, a deliberate attempt by mischief makers to discredit the credible efforts and successes of our gallant troops in maintaining peace and security across Kogi State. Such misinformation only seeks to embolden criminal elements and undermine public trust.

The Brigade urges members of the public to disregard this baseless claim and continue to support the Nigerian Army and other security agencies with timely and credible information that will enhance the collective fight against criminal activities within the state and beyond.

HASSAN ABDULLAHI
Lieutenant
Acting Assistant Director Army Public Relations
12 Brigade Nigerian Army
4 November 2025

Payporte01:
Someone like this Amoto can actually k*ll someone, bury the person, and continue living as if nothing happened. This one worse to pass person wey dey carry gun

Every accusation is a confession