Abuja — November 11, 2025 | Dalena Reporters
Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, a senior figure in the ruling party, has publicly affirmed that the United States President Donald Trump was truthful in his assertion that Nigerians — both Christians and Muslims — are being killed in acts of violence that the government must address. Speaking on Monday in Abuja, Kalu stated that the tragic loss of lives in Nigeria’s rural and historically-conflicted zones cannot be dismissed as isolated incidents. “It is a fact that Nigerians of all faiths are being killed,” he declared, adding that to deny the killings is to “ignore our reality”.
Kalu’s remarks follow recent U.S. commentary tying Nigerian security issues to religious factors, a link which had drawn pushback from Nigerian authorities who emphasise that the violence is driven by criminality and insurgency rather than faith-based targeting alone. Kalu bridged that divide by acknowledging both faith and security dimensions, insisting that “if Christians and Muslims are dying side by side, then the conversation must include faith, governance and justice”.
He called on the Nigerian government to “move from denial to action”, urging the deployment of security forces to threatened communities, prosecution of perpetrators, and better protection of vulnerable believers regardless of religion. He warned that failure to act could deepen religious mistrust and embolden extremist narratives in Nigeria’s north and middle belt.
Kalu further stressed the role of Nigeria’s religious-diverse fabric in national stability: “We must stand together — Muslim or Christian — and defend the right to life, because our killers do not check faith before firing”. His statements received applause from inter-faith groups present, though some analysts cautioned that framing violence in religious terms without detailed data could risk oversimplifying complex conflicts.
The government’s reaction to Kalu’s intervention was muted. The Ministry of Interior had previously released figures citing crime, insurgency and herder-farmer clashes as the main drivers of violence and declined to grant formal recognition to the faith-based description of the killings. As security watchers continue to step up in Nigeria’s north-central and north-west regions, Kalu’s comments may inject new pressure for both faith-driven relief efforts and more transparent casualty reporting.
By Dalena Reporters — Political Affairs Desk