Sowore Reacts to Trump’s Classification of Nigeria as ‘Country of Particular Concern’

Omoyele Sowore, a human rights activist and former presidential candidate, responded to Donald Trump’s classification of Nigeria as a “country of particular concern” in response to allegations of Christian genocide in the nation.

According to reports, Trump claimed that “radical Islamists” were to blame for the numerous murders of Christians in Nigeria on Friday in a post on his Truth Social website.

The United States “cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening,” he later declared Nigeria to be a “country of particular concern.”

In response, Sowore cautioned Trump on Saturday via his X handle against attributing Nigeria’s insecurity to a religious problem.

He maintained that decades of corruption, bad governance, and ineffective leadership are the root causes of Nigeria’s insecurity.

SaharaReporters’ publisher emphasized that good leadership, not foreign intervention, is what will save the nation.

“Nigeria should have been listed as a Country of Concern for a long time because it consistently fails to protect its citizens,” he stated. The state has failed to protect vulnerable Muslims, Christians, and traditional faiths at all levels. Corruption and illegitimate leadership have caused suffering for children, women, workers, students, and the elderly.

He acknowledged that Muslim populations in the north experience the same anxiety, but he also voiced concern for Christian communities in the northern states who have experienced repeated attacks.

“I understand the suffering of the Christian communities in Benue, Plateau, Gombe, and Kaduna, who are still subject to constant attacks, just as the Muslim communities in Katsina, Zamfara, Borno, and Yobe also require defense from roving assassins.

He declared, “Nigerians torn apart by hunger, poverty, and displacement cry out for safety and dignity across the nation.”

Sowore maintained that only real domestic reform can break the cycle of violence and hopelessness, even though attention from across the world may provide short-term respite.

“The true solution lies in honest, courageous leadership that values human life and justice above politics, even though international attention or special designations might provide some communities with short-term relief.”