Sowore: Nigeria’s Killings Not About Religion, but Failed Leadership

Human rights activist and African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has urged both the Nigerian and U.S. governments to stop misrepresenting the ongoing violence in Nigeria.

Sowore described the killings across the country as a consequence of bad governance and insecurity, not religious persecution. He cautioned against framing the crisis as attacks on Christians or Muslims.

Reacting to calls by some U.S. lawmakers to designate Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) over alleged Christian persecution, Sowore dismissed the claims as misleading.

“There’s genocide against the poor, against Muslims, against Christians, against children. Trying to separate it by religion is dishonest,” he said. “The country doesn’t check who carries a Bible or a Koran before counting the dead.”

Sowore also criticised the United States for its selective attention to global crises, citing the situation in Gaza. “Why is the U.S. silent about Gaza, where Muslims are being killed by Israel? That’s international hypocrisy,” he said.

According to the activist, insecurity in Nigeria affects all regions and religions, with the real cause being failed leadership. He highlighted that most attacks occur in the North, affecting both Muslims and Christians. “In the North, gunmen even attack mosques. Just recently, 35 worshippers were killed, and the attackers were likely Muslims too,” he added.

He warned that blaming religion allows leaders to evade responsibility. “When the U.S. says it wants to protect Christians, that’s not a solution. If all Christians were taken away, people would still be killed,” Sowore said.

He urged the Nigerian government to tackle corruption and insecurity directly, noting that failure to do so will continue to put Nigerians of all faiths at risk.

Meanwhile, U.S. lawmaker Riley M. Moore has called on Secretary of State Marco Rubio to act against Nigeria over the “systematic persecution of Christians.” In a letter dated October 6, 2025, Moore described Nigeria as “the deadliest place in the world to be a Christian” and suggested Washington consider halting arms sales until the violence stops.