Adamu Garba, a prominent chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress, has broken ranks with the Nigerian government by agreeing with U.S. President Donald Trump’s characterization of the violence in Nigeria as a genocide. Garba made these statements in a video interview, pressing the administration to acknowledge the severity of the situation and accept assistance from the United States.
Garba pointed to the widespread killings across multiple states as evidence supporting the genocide label. “When I look at the damages, when you look at the total number of the people that have been killed over time in Nigeria and they are killed defenceless in villages, sleeping in their homes, then what can you call this for God’s sake? I think it’s actually pure genocide,” he stated. He specifically mentioned the destruction of villages in Katsina, Sokoto, and Zamfara states.
The APC leader revealed that his party had previously sought international help on this issue. He recalled that in 2014, as an opposition party, APC delegates visited the White House “seeking for the same help on the same Christian genocide as a fallout of the Chibok girls.” He described this as an established fact.
Garba emphasized the existing security relationship with the U.S., noting Nigeria’s recent acquisition of “$346 million worth of weaponry” and plans for military personnel training. He explained that under the United Nations Convention on Counterterrorism, the U.S. has a ‘responsibility to protect’ or R2P, which can be invoked to combat terrorism in other nations.
Rather than rejecting American concerns, Garba urged the government to engage diplomatically. “We can negotiate with them. We can tell them, give us the weapons responsibly. We can discuss with them and acknowledge that this genocide is taking place,” he advised. He suggested clarifying that the violence affects both major religious groups, saying, “Yes, they say Christian genocide. Now, we can justify to them that look, it’s not only genocide, it’s not only Christians, Muslims also are affected.”
He concluded that Nigeria must demonstrate a genuine commitment to partnership. “What we should show in our own case in Nigeria is that we should show commitment and willingness to partner to eliminate the threat of terrorism, not completely condemn a hand that is coming to help us,” Garba said.
