As reports of a growing “Christian genocide” in Nigeria capture international attention, a 2014 statement by President Bola Tinubu condemning then-President Goodluck Jonathan for failing to protect Christian worshippers has resurfaced, drawing sharp comparisons to criticisms now directed at Tinubu’s own administration.
In January 2014, Tinubu, then opposition leader, openly criticized Jonathan over Boko Haram attacks in Borno and Adamawa states that specifically targeted Christian communities.
“The slaughtering of Christian worshippers is strongly condemnable. It calls into question the competence of Jonathan to protect Nigerians,” Tinubu declared at the time.
By April 2014, following escalating attacks including the Nyanya bombing in Abuja, Tinubu reinforced his stance, stressing that the government had a non-negotiable duty to safeguard its citizens.
“My heart bleeds for our people and the country over the deaths in Nyanya. A government unable to protect its citizens deserves to be queried,” he said.
Eleven years later, Tinubu’s words are being echoed by critics amid reports of ongoing attacks against Christians across northern and central Nigeria.
According to the International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law (Intersociety), at least 7,087 Christians were killed in the first 220 days of 2025 alone—averaging 32 deaths per day.
Organizations like Open Doors and International Christian Concern classify the assaults by Islamist militants, including Boko Haram and Fulani extremists, as targeted persecution amounting to genocide. Thousands more have been displaced, kidnapped, or subjected to other forms of violence.
The Nigerian government disputes claims of religious targeting, insisting the unrest stems from broader security challenges affecting all communities.
International attention intensified on October 31, 2025, when U.S. President Donald Trump labeled Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern,” citing an “existential threat” to Christianity. In a Truth Social post, Trump wrote: “Thousands of Christians are being killed by radical Islamists in Nigeria… The United States cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening.” He urged Congress to investigate and affirmed U.S. readiness to protect Christian populations worldwide, echoing similar statements from allies such as Senator Ted Cruz, who called the violence a “religious genocide.”
Within Nigeria, opposition figures and faith-based groups have invoked Tinubu’s 2014 rhetoric to demand immediate action, arguing that the same standards he applied to Jonathan should now apply to his own leadership.
Security analysts warn that while the violence has complex ethnic and economic dimensions, failing to halt targeted attacks against Christians risks further eroding public trust in federal institutions.
The Tinubu administration has yet to respond to the renewed scrutiny or Trump’s designation.
