Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Engr. Babachir Lawal, has said that American Christians have a legitimate right to support and defend Nigerian Christians if they believe the latter were facing persecution.
He insisted that such intervention aligns with Biblical principles of Christian solidarity and should not be condemned.
Lawal made the remarks while reacting to allegations by the United States government about genocide against Christians in Nigeria, and US President Donald Trump’s warning of possible military action, during an interview on Channels Television on Monday.
According to him, the Nigerian government must take responsibility for securing citizens and guaranteeing their welfare, noting that failure to do so leaves affected groups with no choice but to seek help elsewhere.
“The government should assure us they can give us the peace and prosperity we desire. If they are unable to do that, they cannot blame any part of society that decides to seek help from anywhere,” he said.
The former SGF explained that defending fellow believers is rooted in Christian teachings. He noted that the concept of Christian brotherhood places a duty on believers to protect one another regardless of nationality or ethnicity.
“In the Bible, we are taught to be our brothers’ keepers. If American Christians decide to come to the aid of Nigerian Christians because they are in distress, that is Biblical. They are within their rights to do so if Christians feel they are unable to defend themselves,” he said.
Lawal further stressed that the scale of killings in Nigeria amounts to genocide against both Christians and some Muslim communities.
“First of all, we know Boko Haram started with the genocide — the Christians were being attacked, so there’s no debate about that. But now you see that other victims of this genocide are the Hausa people, from Sokoto, Kebbi, and Katsina, where many Muslims are being killed,” he stated.
He also criticised what he described as the government’s tendency to dismiss concerns about insecurity, saying that citizens who raised alarm were often vilified instead of being listened to.
“When you talk to government, they send people to insult you and say all sorts of things. The government should secure us, and if they do, we can then join them to tell the Americans to stay away from our land,” he added.
