Former senator representing Kaduna Central, Shehu Sani, has welcomed remarks by United States President Donald Trump acknowledging that Muslims are among those killed by terrorists in Nigeria, saying the comment places the country’s security crisis in its proper context.
Sani, a rights activist and outspoken commentator on insecurity in northern Nigeria, made his remarks in a post shared on his verified X account on Friday.
He suggested that earlier narratives framing the violence along religious lines were driven by a “genocide script” designed to advance undisclosed political interests through foreign influence.
According to the former lawmaker, Trump’s admission underscores the reality that terrorism in Nigeria cuts across religious boundaries, affecting both Muslims and Christians alike.
“The recent admission by President Trump that ‘Muslims are also killed’ by terrorists in Northern Nigeria properly and objectively locates the violence in its context,” Sani wrote.
He added that religious identity offers no protection from extremist violence, stressing that communities of all faiths face a shared threat.
“Being a Muslim doesn’t insulate you from the evil of terrorism,” he said.
Sani also cautioned against overreliance on external actors, arguing that Nigeria must take primary responsibility for confronting its security challenges.
“We must free ourselves from the illusion that a foreign power will solve the problems we are supposed to solve ourselves,” he wrote.
Nigeria has faced years of insurgency and banditry, particularly in the north, with repeated debates over the drivers of the violence and the role of international intervention in addressing the crisis.
