Members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), popularly known as Shiites, took to the streets of Kano on Saturday in protest against United States President Donald Trump’s recent statement threatening to invade Nigeria to take out terrorists.
The scores of protesters, who marched across major roads in Kano city, carried placards and banners rejecting Trump’s claim that Christians were being targeted in a genocide in Nigeria. Some of the demonstrators were seen dragging the American flag on the ground, while others displayed effigies of the US president.
Trump had recently designated Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern,” claiming that there was ongoing persecution of Christians by terrorist groups and warning that if the Nigerian government failed to act, he would deploy U.S. troops to stop the killings. He also directed the U.S. Department of War to prepare a possible military action plan.
In reaction, the IMN dismissed Trump’s comments as false and provocative. A statement signed by Abdullahi Danladi of the Movement’s Resource Forum described the US leader’s claims as “inflammatory and dangerous,” accusing western nations of using propaganda to create religious division in Nigeria.
Danladi said their group has always stood for unity and peaceful coexistence, stressing that Nigeria’s challenges were driven by corruption and political greed, not religion. “Both Islam and Christianity teach similar moral values, but politicians and foreign interests exploit our differences,” he said.
LEADERSHIP reports that the federal government has also rejected the genocide claim, insisting that terrorists in the country attack indiscriminately without targeting any particular faith group.
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