• Insecurity: UK cautions citizens against travel to 21 Nigerian states
• S’West govs urged to prepare for fallout of possible US strike on terrorists
• Adeboye urges Tinubu to act fast on insecurity, seek 100-day grace from U.S.
• How Trump’s threat reveals power of faith lobby in shaping U.S. foreign policy

Nigeria’s top Islamic body, the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), has condemned Donald Trump’s “disgraced country” comment, accusing the U.S. president of fuelling dangerous misconceptions and warning that such rhetoric threatens Nigeria’s fragile unity and efforts to counter terrorism and poverty-driven violence.

The appeal followed an Expanded General Purpose Committee (EGPC) meeting of the Council, chaired by its President-General, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, held yesterday at the National Mosque, Abuja.

Briefing journalists after the meeting, NSCIA Secretary-General, Prof Ishaq Oloyede, said the Council was disturbed that certain individuals and groups had misled foreign governments with claims of a Christian genocide in Nigeria. He described the nation’s security challenges as affecting all citizens, regardless of faith or ethnicity.

“Both Muslims and Christians are victims of terrorism, banditry and communal clashes largely driven by climate pressures, criminality, proliferation of arms and governance failures,” he said.

The NSCIA criticised Trump’s remark, saying it was inconsistent with the posture of an ally seeking to support Nigeria’s fight against terrorism. “Every right-thinking Nigerian was concerned because an ally determined to help a sovereign country ‘wipe out Islamic terrorists’ would collaborate with it, not denigrate it,” the statement read.

The Council urged the U.S. President to retract his statement and instead provide credible intelligence, logistics and human capacity support to aid Nigeria’s security efforts.

It also faulted Washington’s re-designation of Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern”, describing it as a product of lobbying by foreign evangelical groups, separatist movements and local actors seeking political or material advantage.

The NSCIA cautioned that amplifying false genocide claims could incite religious hostility. “There is no Christian genocide in Nigeria. There is no Muslim genocide. The Nigerian tragedy is one of poverty, climate change, poor governance and criminal violence that targets everyone,” it said.

The Council commended Femi Falana, SAN; Femi Fani-Kayode; Reno Omokri; and Anambra State Governor, Prof Charles Soludo, for publicly rejecting the genocide narrative. It described those promoting such claims as unpatriotic and warned that such falsehoods could push Nigeria toward chaos, as seen in war-torn countries like Iraq and Libya.

Concerning the recent meeting between President Bola Tinubu and the Sultan of Sokoto, Oloyede said the traditional ruler conveyed the concerns of Nigerian Muslims to the President, particularly fears of marginalisation.

He said Tinubu assured the Sultan that Muslims would not be sidelined in governance or policymaking. “Mr President assured him that Muslims are not going to be marginalised and that there is no plan to encroach on our rights and privileges,” Oloyede stated.

UK warns citizens against travel to 21 Nigerian states over insecurity.

This came as the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) issued a fresh travel advisory, warning British citizens against visiting 21 states in Nigeria due to rising insecurity across the country.

The advisory, updated on October 21 and confirmed as current yesterday, cited an increase in kidnapping, violent crime, and intercommunal clashes in all regions of Nigeria.

“Insecurity is increasing across Nigeria. Kidnapping, violent crime, and intercommunal violence occur throughout all regions,” the FCDO stated.

The advisory warned against all travel to Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, and Gombe states in the North-East, citing an ongoing threat of retaliatory attacks and regular military operations. It also urged British citizens to undertake only essential travel to Bauchi State.

“There is a high and increasing threat from Boko Haram or Islamic State West Africa, particularly around transport hubs, religious areas and large gatherings. Humanitarian personnel, vehicles, supplies and infrastructure can be targeted by terrorists and criminals,” the office added.

In the North-West, the FCDO advised against travel to Katsina and Zamfara states because of frequent banditry, kidnapping and intercommunal violence. It further cautioned against all but essential travel to Kaduna, Kebbi, Jigawa and Sokoto states.

In the North-Central region, British citizens were urged to avoid non-essential travel to Niger, Kogi, Plateau and Taraba states.

Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, was also listed as an area of concern. The FCDO noted that violent crime involving firearms had spread from the outskirts into more central, affluent areas of the city, alongside sporadic protests that “can turn violent.”

In the South-East, the office warned against non-essential travel to Abia, Anambra and Imo states due to secessionist activities, and to non-riverine parts of Delta, Bayelsa and Rivers states in the South-South.

The advisory also highlighted rising crime levels in Lagos, especially on the mainland, naming street crime as a particular risk.

In a broader caution, the FCDO urged British citizens to avoid withdrawing cash from ATMs at night, and to be wary of financial scams, particularly those involving romance or fake job offers.

S’West govs urged to prepare for fallout of possible U.S. strike on terrorists

Also, the Alliance for Yoruba Democratic Movements (AYDM) has called on governors in the South-West, as well as those of Kogi and Kwara states, to prepare for potential security challenges that could follow an anticipated United States strike on terrorist cells in Nigeria.

In a statement issued at the weekend by its General Secretary, Poloola Ajayi, and Publicity Secretary, Suleiman Sanusi, the group warned that such an attack could push terrorists from their northern bases into the southern part of the country.

AYDM cautioned that while some Nigerians were preoccupied with debates over sovereignty, the country’s leaders had long compromised that sovereignty through corruption, election rigging, and the sponsorship of terrorism.

According to the group, terrorism remains one of Nigeria’s biggest challenges, but the “brutal campaign by Fulani jihadists to dominate the political economy” poses the greatest threat.

“It is obvious that Nigeria has no power to stop the proposed U.S. strike. The old tactics of proxy protests and sponsored propaganda will have no effect in this case. What is wise is for governments, both state and national, to prepare for the consequences and manage the situation in a way that preserves the dignity of the Yoruba nation,” AYDM stated.

The group acknowledged that while the killings of Christians are real, many Yoruba and Middle Belt Muslims have also been victims of extremist violence. “There is an open agenda to Islamise Nigeria. Thousands have been killed, and Yoruba people are direct victims,” it added.

AYDM urged South-West governors to work with Yoruba self-determination groups to strengthen intelligence gathering, data collation, and community defence networks to prevent terrorist infiltration.

The movement stressed that a U.S. strike alone would not end jihadist violence in Nigeria, warning that the country was heading towards a breaking point similar to the Soviet Union’s collapse in 1991. It said the choice before Nigeria was either peaceful restructuring or eventual disintegration.

“While Mr Trump is being criticised by some Nigerian leaders, they fail to admit that irresponsible and corrupt leadership, as well as their inability to stop widespread killings, drew his attention in the first place,” the group said.

AYDM lamented that political leaders were more concerned with elections than with the ongoing bloodshed.

“Terrorists target Christians, but they also kill Muslims. Their ultimate goal is to turn Nigeria into an Islamic state. Unfortunately, many political and religious leaders in Yorubaland oppose Trump’s proposal without offering a viable alternative,” it said.

The group also expressed support for proposed U.S. sanctions on individuals and states allegedly aiding terrorism.

“We support the proposal by the U.S. Congress to sanction the 12 northern states that have adopted Sharia law. We also urge sanctions on those promoting Sharia in Yoruba territories and in the National Assembly,” it said.

AYDM concluded by calling on South-West governments to establish regional intelligence bureaus to monitor terrorist movements, counter extremist propaganda, and sustain peace across Yoruba territories.

Group faults U.S. over Nigeria’s redesignation as ‘Country of Particular Concern’
The Independent Media and Policy Initiative (IMPI) has criticised United States President Donald Trump’s decision to redesignate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC), describing it as being based on “jaundiced and manipulated data” from local and international organisations with ulterior motives.

In a statement issued by its Chairman, Dr Omoniyi Akinsiju, the policy think tank accused groups such as the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) and Open Doors, a Christian charity, of fabricating statistics to portray Nigeria as a country where Christians face systematic extermination.

IMPI expressed worry that certain advocacy groups were deliberately exaggerating terrorism-related fatalities to push a false narrative of religious persecution.

“It is immoral to concoct death-related data to justify a point of view. The campaign to designate Nigeria as a CPC has become a tool exploited by some NGOs and vested interests to drive their demands,” the statement read.

Citing examples, the group noted that Intersociety claimed 5,068 Christians were killed in 2022, while Open Doors’ World Watch List put the figure at 5,014, higher than the total Christian deaths recorded in the rest of the world.

“Those figures do not reflect the reality on the ground,” IMPI stated.

The organisation contrasted these claims with data from the Global Terrorism Index (GTI), which reported 392 terrorism-related deaths in Nigeria in 2022, the lowest since 2011, and 565 in 2024. IMPI said the huge discrepancies showed an “industry of falsehood underpinning the advocacy” for Nigeria’s CPC status.

While acknowledging that fatalities rose by 34 per cent in 2023 to 533, the group said they were still far below the 8,222 deaths claimed by Intersociety for the same year. “Even if one accepts GTI’s figures, it cannot by any stretch of imagination be described as genocide,” IMPI maintained.

The organisation also cited previous GTI data showing a steady decline in terrorism deaths, including a 39.1 per cent drop from 2,043 in 2018 to 1,245 in 2019, contradicting Intersociety’s claim of 1,200 Christian deaths that same year.

Adeboye urges Tinubu to act fast on insecurity, seek 100-day grace from U.S.
The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye, has urged President Bola Tinubu to act swiftly to end insecurity in Nigeria, advising him to seek a 100-day grace from the President of the United States to enable him to tackle terrorism in the country.

Adeboye also appealed to the President to give security chiefs a 90-day ultimatum to eliminate terrorists and their sponsors or lose their positions.

The cleric, who described Tinubu as his in-law, made the call at the weekend during a meeting tagged “With His Children”, held shortly after the church’s monthly Holy Ghost Night.

“If I had the opportunity to meet the President, I would tell him to move fast, move diplomatically, move wisely. He should find a way to convince the U.S. President to delay his actions for about 100 days and then come home and tell our security chiefs to get rid of these terrorists within 90 days or resign,” Adeboye said.

He disclosed that he had given similar advice to former President Muhammadu Buhari when killings across the country became rampant, but said the former president failed to act on it.

“There was a president, Buhari, who issued such an order. He ran with that advice, but he did not follow it through. The security operatives moved fast, but three months went by and the work was not done,” he said.

Adeboye urged Tinubu to ensure that security chiefs not only eliminate terrorists but also go after their sponsors, regardless of status or influence.

He warned that Nigeria should not rely on foreign powers in the event of external aggression. “If the U.S. should attack us, China is not coming to defend us, Russia won’t defend us, Britain will not come and help us. No other foreign power will come to our aid,” he said.

The cleric criticised the section of Tinubu’s recent speech that suggested the return of displaced persons to their communities, saying: “The person who wrote that speech for my president, my in-law, does not like him. My conclusion is that several people around my beloved in-law are not telling him the truth.”

How Trump’s threat reveals power of faith lobby in shaping U.S. foreign policy
President Donald Trump’s recent threat to launch military action against Nigeria to protect Christians was the culmination of months of lobbying by American evangelical leaders and Senator Ted Cruz, but it came as a surprise even to those who had championed the cause.

The issue reached its peak on November 1 when Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social that he had ordered the U.S. military to prepare to act against Nigeria and halt aid to its government, accusing Nigerian authorities of allowing “our cherished Christians!” to be killed by “Islamic Terrorists.”

The threat caught military officials unawares and prompted immediate concern within the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM), which oversees U.S. military operations on the continent. According to sources familiar with the discussions, AFRICOM informed the Pentagon that its resources and intelligence in the region were limited and that military intervention was unlikely to yield meaningful results.

Trump’s sudden focus on Nigeria’s religious violence, elevating it to a national security priority, underscored how policy decisions in his administration could be influenced by external pressure and media coverage. His post reportedly followed a meeting between his advisers and faith leaders in Washington, as well as his viewing of a Fox News segment on the issue aboard Air Force One.

“This is an example of a very complex matter that has been stripped of its nuance,” a U.S. official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Following the president’s comments, he appointed House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole of Oklahoma and Representative Riley Moore of West Virginia to lead an inquiry. On Friday, Mr Moore introduced a resolution urging the U.S. government to employ diplomatic, economic and security measures to pressure Nigerian authorities to protect Christian communities.

A White House official, also speaking anonymously, reaffirmed the threat of possible intervention, noting that Nigeria faces “a complex array of threats from terrorist groups and violent extremist organisations.”

The renewed attention came after a late October meeting between a coalition of Christian leaders and senior administration officials, including Sebastian Gorka and Rudolph Atallah, at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. Participants urged the White House to restore Nigeria’s designation as a “country of particular concern” (CPC) over religious freedom violations.

“It was a full-court press,” said Mark Walker, a pastor and former congressman nominated by Mr Trump as ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom. “It reached a tipping point.”

Trump subsequently announced that Nigeria would again be classified as a CPC. The following day, he escalated the matter, threatening a “fast, vicious, and sweet” strike against what he called “that now disgraced country.”

Inside AFRICOM headquarters, officials were instructed to begin planning for a possible operation, a directive described by sources as unexpected. The command was already engaged in efforts to rescue an American missionary kidnapped in neighbouring Niger and reportedly warned that it lacked the resources to widen operations into Nigeria.

Senior military leaders advised maintaining focus on the hostage situation, which they viewed as a higher priority.

The Pentagon declined to comment on internal deliberations. Spokesman Sean Parnell said only that the Defence Department and AFRICOM were developing “several courses of action” and would act “at the President’s direction.”

Despite AFRICOM’s reservations, some of Trump’s political allies have backed his stance. “You bet I would,” Senator Tommy Tuberville of Alabama told Fox News when asked if he would support deploying U.S. troops to Nigeria. “This would be going and helping innocent people that would be able to take back over their country.”