Former Kogi State governorship aspirant and women leader, Princess Grace Iye Adejoh, has called on the Federal Government to confront what she described as the systematic genocide against Christians in Nigeria, insisting that silence and denial will only fuel further bloodshed.

In a statement issued to journalists in Lokoja, Adejoh lamented that Christians have endured decades of sustained persecution and viole/nce with little meaningful intervention. She wondered why some Nigerians are opposing the proposed intervention of the United States in addressing religiously motivated killings.

?Christian suffering is not new, but it has become more systematic and deadly in recent years,? she said.

?Too often, Nigerian Christians pay the price for global events ? especially when Islam is perceived to be insulted or attacked elsewhere.?

Adejoh cited the 2005 Mohammed cartoon controversy as a stark example, recalling how protests that erupted across the Muslim world turned violent in northern Nigeria, leading to the killing of dozens of Christians and destruction of churches and homes.

She said extremist ideologies have deepened the problem, with groups such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) waging relentless attacks on Christian communities.

?According to Amnesty International, Boko Haram has killed more than 37,000 people and displaced over 2.5 million in the Lake Chad region since 2009. Many of these victims were Christians targeted specifically for their faith,? she noted.

Citing the Open Doors World Watch List (2024), she said Nigeria ranks as the sixth most dangerous country in the world to be a Christian due to ?extreme levels of violence and persecution.? She added that the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has consistently recommended placing Nigeria on the list of ?Countries of Particular Concern.?

Despite overwhelming evidence, Adejoh said both domestic and international actors remain reluctant to acknowledge the situation as genocide, largely because such a designation triggers moral, legal, and diplomatic obligations, including possible sanctions or intervention.

?The deliberate and systematic targeting of Nigerian Christians meets key elements of the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide,? she argued.

Adejoh clarified that the crisis did not begin under the current administration, nor can any single government be solely blamed. However, she insisted that every administration has a constitutional duty to protect all citizens transparently and effectively.

?Attempts to downplay the crisis or present misleading narratives only deepen mistrust and prolong the suffering. Leadership requires accountability and courage ? not denial,? she said.

She also condemned recent attacks on Muslim communities, warning that ignoring such incidents could trigger fresh cycles of reprisal attacks. According to Global Rights Nigeria, she noted, more than 5,000 civilians were killed in non-state armed violence in 2022 alone.

Adejoh urged the Federal Government to strengthen intelligence gathering, reform the security architecture, and prosecute perpetrators of religiously motivated violence regardless of their background. She further called for collaboration with faith leaders, civil society, and international partners to promote tolerance and national cohesion.

?Protecting citizens from targeted killings is not an act of generosity; it is the foundation of governance,? she said. ?Failure to uphold this duty not only threatens Nigeria?s stability but undermines its moral legitimacy.?

She concluded by insisting that truth, justice, and accountability must guide Nigeria?s path if it is to remain one indivisible nation. ?Anything less would be a betrayal ? not just of its Christians, but of the very idea of Nigeria itself.? (Vanguard)

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