The Federal government has cautioned that recent pronouncements from the United States on Nigeria’s security situation have inadvertently emboldened opportunistic violent groups, encouraging them to exploit international narratives and stage renewed attacks on soft targets.
The warning was issued on Wednesday by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, during a press conference in Abuja, addressing the evolution of violent extremism, Boko Haram and ISWAP insurgency, North-West banditry, economic drivers of insecurity, and what he described as the need to clarify misleading claims of “Christian genocide” in Nigeria.
Akume said insurgency structures have been significantly degraded before the latest wave of commentary from Washington, adding that such statements, though perhaps well-intentioned, had the unintended effect of emboldening extremist factions.
He stressed that what Nigeria needed from global partners, especially the United States, was collaboration through intelligence, technology and equipment, not public labels that distort the country’s security realities.
The SGF firmly dismissed as inaccurate and dangerous the growing international rhetoric that Nigeria is witnessing a “Christian genocide.”
He said no credible international organisation had ever classified the crisis as genocide against any group.
According to him, Boko Haram and ISWAP have historically attacked both churches and mosques, killing Christians, Muslims and traditionalists alike, while North-West bandits operate primarily as criminal enterprises with economic motivations rather than religious ones.
“The current misrepresentation of the crisis as ‘genocide against Christians’ fuels religious tension, emboldens extremist and criminal factions seeking to exploit sectarian narratives, creates diplomatic friction, and undermines Nigeria’s longstanding efforts to build constructive international security partnerships,” he warned.
Akume reiterated that Nigeria is a secular state whose constitution prohibits the adoption of any religion as a national faith, adding that President Bola Tinubu’s appointments reflect the nation’s diversity, with equal representation of Christians and Muslims in the Federal Executive Council and the National Security Council.
The SGF also said President Tinubu is now doing what ought to have been done over the last twenty years by previous administrations for the good of all Nigerians.
Providing a detailed historical context, Akume traced the insurgency to the ideological currents that shaped Boko Haram from 2002, through its radicalisation under Mohammed Yusuf, the mass-casualty era of Abubakar Shekau, and its transformation into ISWAP following its pledge of allegiance to ISIS in 2015.
He also highlighted the role of the 2011 collapse of Libya and instability in Egypt, which opened trafficking corridors for extremist groups.
Weapons flowed through Al-Qaeda-linked AQIM routes into the Sahel and Nigeria, boosting the operational capacities of Boko Haram, ISWAP and later, armed banditry networks.
On banditry in the North-West, the SGF said all credible analyses point to economic roots, including competition for land and water resources, cattle rustling, illegal mining of gold and other minerals, kidnapping-for-ransom, and extortion of rural communities.
“These pressures, not religious motives, explain the persistence of violence in the North-West,” he said.
Akume referenced the June 13–14 Yelewata attack in Guma Local Government Area of Benue State, where over 100 people were killed, according to independent rights organisations.
He said President Tinubu immediately dispatched relief materials and ordered a census of destroyed homes and properties to facilitate reconstruction.
Akume stressed that the Nigerian Armed Forces remain highly capable and have reclaimed vast territories once occupied by Boko Haram and ISWAP.
He said Nigeria does not require foreign combat troops but needs targeted intelligence, surveillance technology and advanced equipment to finish the job.
“What is needed is partnership, not prescriptive statements,” he added.
Outlining the government’s strategy, Akume said Nigeria will scale up nationwide operations, tighten intelligence-sharing with global allies, intensify efforts to dismantle illegal mining and trafficking networks, and strengthen rural security and border governance.
He appealed to citizens across political, ethnic and religious lines to unite against violent extremism, saying “now is the time to speak with one strong and united voice to confront a common enemy and eradicate terrorists, bandits and insurgents from our national borders.”
Akume reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to deepening diplomatic ties with the United States on the basis of mutual respect, shared democratic values and a joint responsibility to enhance regional and global stability.