Former President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rev. Samson Ayokunle, has condemned what he described as the government’s obsession with the 2027 general election while Nigerians continue to die in violent attacks across the country.
Speaking in an interview with Punch, Ayokunle said the ongoing killings of Christians and the government’s failure to curb the violence amounted to genocide.
He accused political leaders of abandoning their core duty of protecting lives and property while prioritising their electoral ambitions.
Nigeria’s worsening security and silent leadership
Ayokunle recounted multiple attacks on Christian communities, particularly in Plateau, Benue, and Southern Kaduna, where entire villages were destroyed and occupied by armed groups.
He recalled a massacre in Miango, Plateau State, where 21 people were killed in a single night.
Twenty of them, he said, were members of his denomination, the Nigerian Baptist Convention.
He criticised attempts to downplay the violence by claiming that Muslims were also victims, arguing that the killings of Christians were targeted and systematic.
“What makes the killing of Christians particularly worrisome is that those responsible are some Muslims. If members of the same faith attack one another, it’s viewed differently.
But when some Muslims target Christians, it becomes persecution—and with the number involved, it is genocide,” he said.
The cleric accused the government of complacency and complicity, saying its failure to end terrorism over the past 16 years showed a lack of sincerity.
According to him, insecurity has now spread to new regions, including the South-West.
Post a Comment