The Christian Association of Nigeria in the 19 northern states and the Federal Capital Territory, alongside bishops under the aegis of the Ecumenical Synods of Bishops, Archbishops, Apostles and Senior Clergy, have dismissed the claim by the United States President, Donald Trump, that the US military had ended the killing of Christians in Nigeria.

The clerics described Trump’s claim as misleading, false and detached from the realities on the ground, warning that it could trivialise the country’s persistent security crisis.

Trump, during an event in Washington on Friday, said American intervention in Nigeria played a major role in halting attacks allegedly targeted at Christian communities, particularly in areas affected by insurgency and violent extremist activities.

“As you know, we recently struck Nigeria and largely ended the slaughter of great Christian populations,” the US President said.

He described the situation before the intervention as severe, claiming that thousands of innocent people, including women, children and the elderly, had been killed in brutal attacks.

“They have a great Christian population. They were being butchered, thousands and thousands of people were being killed, children, women, old people, just being slaughtered, hacked to death,” he added.

Trump stated that the alleged military action significantly weakened those responsible for the attacks.

“They know that if they go further, the attack will be far greater and that they don’t want to really get involved anymore so much. We hit them very hard. We knocked out their leader. We knocked out their second leader and their third leader,” the US President said.

Commenting on the claim, the CAN Chairman in the 19 northern states and the Federal Capital Territory, Joseph Hayab, faulted Trump’s assertion, insisting that Nigerians, not only Christians, were still being killed and abducted across several states.

Speaking with Sunday PUNCH on Saturday, Hayab said only victims of insecurity and Christians in Nigeria could determine whether there had been any meaningful improvement in the security situation, stressing that killings and abductions were still occurring across the country.

Hayab described Trump’s statement as a political claim based on misleading information from advisers who did not understand the security situation in Nigeria.

“The right people who should tell whether Trump has succeeded should be Nigerian Christians or Northern Christians, not Trump himself. But probably he is getting his information from the wrong source. I think some of his political claims are not good enough to resolve things.

“Trump should allow the victims to make that confession, not him. The victims are the right people who can tell whether whatever he has done has yielded any success,” he said.

While acknowledging recent US military operations targeting terrorist elements, the CAN chairman said the intervention had not translated into an end to attacks on innocent Nigerians.

“The strategy Trump’s America is adopting is not good enough because after the US forces struck in Sokoto last December, they went on a long recess. They came recently again and killed some ISIS commanders, but people are still being killed here every day,” he said.

Hayab urged the US administration to focus on providing practical assistance rather than making what he described as political claims.

“We don’t know those who are advising or telling him stories that are not true. If they want to truly bring an end to the killing of innocent Nigerians, let them stop the propaganda or the media story and focus on the reality, because I’m not sure the victims would like this kind of claim.

“I think he needs to be properly informed about what is happening rather than claiming what is not, because if someone is still sick and in hospital and you claim that he has recovered, it means you have either been misinformed or you probably do not understand what it means to be ill.

“We want help, but the help shouldn’t be propaganda. It should be genuine help, not propaganda or misinformation. All those people who are still in bandits’ captivity in Oyo, Kwara and Kogi, what has happened? People are still in Kwara, Katsina, Borno and other states. Trump and his men can find a better story.

“We want help to bring an end to the killings, not Trump making claims for political gains. Those who are giving him information are not giving him the right one,” he added.

On their part, the Ecumenical Synods of Bishops, Archbishops, Apostles and Senior Clergy said they had yet to see any convincing evidence that the reported US intervention had achieved the desired results.

Speaking with Sunday PUNCH on Saturday, the International Secretary of the body, Archbishop Osazee William, said Nigerians were expecting a more robust intervention capable of addressing the root causes of insecurity and protecting vulnerable communities.

“I don’t seem to agree with him because, in the first place, I have yet to see evidence of that claim. I think there was a kind of warning strike in Sokoto, but I didn’t see any visible killing.

“This is not the kind of intervention we were hoping and looking forward to. We are looking at a good intervention. I saw what we had after that time,” he added.

The cleric also expressed concern over reports suggesting there might have been behind-the-scenes negotiations aimed at softening the US position on issues affecting Nigerians.

While acknowledging that a statement may have been made through the reported action, William maintained that it fell short of expectations.

“It has been rumoured that there has been a kind of high-level bargain to make the guy (Trump) soft-pedal on the issues that are paramount in the hearts of everyone in Nigeria. Is it true?

“Yes, he made the statement, but that statement alone is not good enough because the aftermath makes it clear that it (airstrike) had not really done the job we are expecting.”

The bishops called for more concrete and sustained efforts by both local and international actors to tackle insecurity and ensure the protection of lives and property across the country. (Sunday PUNCH)

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