The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, has issued a comprehensive statement addressing Nigeria’s evolving security challenges, the humanitarian toll of recent attacks, and international mischaracterisations of the crisis as “Christian genocide.”
Akume explained that Nigeria’s security threats have developed along two major fronts. In the North-East, ideological insurgency has persisted since 2002, beginning as a local extremist movement before drawing inspiration from Al-Qaeda and later ISIS.
This influence transformed the group into Boko Haram and subsequently ISWAP, which has carried out mass killings, suicide bombings, and high-profile attacks such as the 2011 UN Building bombing in Abuja and the 2014 abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls. In the North-West, however, violence has been driven primarily by economic factors since 2018, including illegal mining, cattle rustling, kidnapping-for-ransom, and extortion.
While opportunistic links exist with terrorist smuggling networks in the Sahel, the government emphasised that these banditry operations are economically motivated rather than religious.
The SGF traced the roots of Nigeria’s insecurity to regional destabilisation following the 2011 uprisings in Libya and Egypt. The collapse of the Libyan state allowed traffickers aligned with Al-Qaeda to disperse heavy weapons across the Sahel, while Egypt’s instability opened corridors for extremist ideologies and foreign fighters. These developments, combined with weapons smuggling through AQIM-controlled routes, strengthened Boko Haram, ISWAP, and later banditry networks in Nigeria.
Akume recalled Nigeria’s legal vulnerability before 2010, when the country lacked a framework to combat terrorism. The October 1, 2010, Independence Day bombing in Abuja exposed this weakness, prompting the enactment of the Terrorism Prevention Act in 2011, later amended in 2013. This legislation empowered security agencies to track terrorism financing, enhance intelligence cooperation, and build Nigeria’s modern counter-terrorism architecture.
The SGF also highlighted the economic roots of North-West banditry, citing competition for grazing routes, desertification, cattle rustling, illegal mining in states such as Zamfara and Kaduna, and organised kidnapping-for-ransom. He stressed that these pressures, not religion, explain the persistence of violence in the region.
Addressing recent humanitarian crises, Akume referenced the June 2025 attack in Yelewata, Benue State, where at least 100 people were killed and thousands displaced. The President dispatched relief materials and financial support, later visiting victims in hospitals and ordering a census of destruction to facilitate reconstruction.
On claims of “Christian genocide,” the SGF firmly rejected the characterisation, noting that Boko Haram and ISWAP attack both churches and mosques, killing Muslims and Christians alike. Bandits, he said, target communities indiscriminately, with victims including Christians, Muslims, and traditionalists. He warned that misrepresenting the crisis as genocide fuels sectarian tensions, emboldens extremist factions, and undermines Nigeria’s international security partnerships.
Akume reaffirmed the capability of the Nigerian Armed Forces, which have reclaimed territories and degraded insurgent leadership structures. He stressed that Nigeria does not require foreign troops but seeks targeted support from partners, particularly the United States, in intelligence cooperation, technology, and military equipment. He cautioned that recent pronouncements from the U.S. have inadvertently emboldened violent groups, underscoring the need for collaboration rather than public labelling.
The government reiterated Nigeria’s secular status under the 1999 Constitution, emphasising that appointments in the current administration reflect national diversity, with Christians and Muslims holding key positions in equal proportion, including within the National Security Council.
Looking ahead, Akume outlined the government’s strategy to strengthen nationwide security operations, deepen intelligence-sharing with allies, intensify financial tracking of illegal mining and trafficking, enhance rural and border security, and uphold human rights safeguards. He called for collaboration between Nigeria and the United States, noting their shared responsibility as the largest democracies in Africa and the world to confront extremist threats and promote global stability.
In closing, the SGF appealed to Nigerians across all divides to unite against terrorism, banditry, and extremism. “Now is the time to speak with one strong and united voice to confront a common enemy,” he declared, urging collective resolve to eradicate insurgents from Nigeria’s borders.
