Anambra State Governor, Charles Chukwuma Soludo, has refuted allegations that Christians in Nigeria’s South-East are victims of a religious genocide, describing the claims as baseless and misleading.
During a live interview on Channels Television, Soludo clarified that the crisis in the region is not driven by religion but by social, political, and economic issues.
His comments followed a statement by U.S. President Donald Trump, who accused the Nigerian government of allowing mass killings of Christians and hinted at potential U.S. military intervention to protect them.
Soludo dismissed the claim, insisting that the situation is far more complex than the narrative being promoted abroad.
“There is a deeper conversation and introspection about what goes on in the country,” Soludo said. “In eastern Nigeria, it is not religious. People are killing themselves, Christians killing Christians. The people in the bushes are Emmanuel, Peter, and John—Christian names—and they have maimed and killed thousands of our youths. It has nothing to do with religion.”
The former Central Bank of Nigeria governor emphasized that the South-East is predominantly Christian, noting that both the attackers and their victims share the same faith.
“In this part of the country, we are 95 percent Christians, and the people in the bushes killing people bear Christian names,” he said. “It is broader than just Christians and Muslims. Nigeria will overcome, and it will end in conversation.”
He added that while the United States has the right to express its opinions, its actions must still conform to international law.
