Christians Killing Christians In The South-East — Soludo Replies Trump

Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State has dismissed recent claims by former U.S. President Donald Trump alleging that Christians in Nigeria’s South-East are victims of a government-enabled religious genocide. Soludo described such assertions as “false, simplistic, and dangerously misleading,” insisting that the ongoing violence in the region is not rooted in religion but in deeper social, political, and economic grievances.

Speaking during a live media chat on Channels Television, the Anambra governor said the crisis in the South-East is being misrepresented by foreign observers who often frame it through the lens of religious persecution.

“There is a deeper conversation and introspection needed about what is happening in our country,” Soludo said. “In this part of the world — eastern Nigeria — it is not religious. People are killing themselves, Christians killing Christians. The people in the bushes are Emmanuel, Peter, and John — all Christian names — and they have maimed and killed thousands of our youths. It has nothing to do with religion.”

Soludo explained that the South-East is overwhelmingly Christian, with both the victims and perpetrators of violence sharing the same faith and often the same communities.

“Here in the South-East, over 95 percent of us are Christians. The people in the forests, the so-called gunmen, bear Christian names. This is not a Christian-versus-Muslim issue — it is a breakdown of social order, a mix of political and criminal opportunism,” he said.

The former Central Bank of Nigeria governor urged the international community, particularly the United States, to exercise greater understanding before making sweeping pronouncements about Nigeria’s internal challenges.

“While the United States is entitled to its opinions, its actions must still align with international law and with an accurate understanding of our reality. Nigeria will overcome these challenges — it will all end in dialogue and reconciliation,” Soludo assured.

He emphasized that reducing the complex South-East security crisis to a narrative of “Christian persecution” risks inflaming tensions and distorting the truth about what is essentially an internal socio-political problem.