Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, has claimed that President Bola Tinubu, his predecessor Muhammadu Buhari, and leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) were the first to draw the attention of the United States government to reports of alleged Christian killings in Nigeria.

Lawal made the disclosure while speaking on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme monitored in Abuja. He was reacting to comments by former US President Donald Trump, who alleged the existence of a Christian genocide in Nigeria.

According to the ex-SGF, the same APC figures who previously raised the alarm under former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration are now dismissing such claims because they are in power.

“Trump might be right and might not be right,” Lawal said. “But don’t forget that Tinubu, Buhari, and the APC delegation were the first to tell the US government about Christian genocide in Nigeria under Jonathan’s administration.

“Now, the same APC people are saying there’s no Christian genocide in the country because they are in government.”

Lawal maintained that beyond the controversy surrounding the alleged killings, the primary duty of government remains the protection of lives and property.

“Forget about genocide or no genocide in Nigeria. The issue is to guarantee the security of our lives and property. That’s all we want from government,” he added.