Religious victimisation exists in pockets of Northern Nigeria — Dogara

 

Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has said that while Christians practise their faith freely in many parts of Northern Nigeria, there are still pockets of religious victimisation in some states that require urgent attention.

Dogara stated this on Sunday during an appearance on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme, where he responded to questions on claims that Christians are being marginalised in the North.

He explained that several North-Central states, including Plateau, Benue, Taraba and Nasarawa, do not suppress Christian voices, stressing that residents of such states cannot claim religious silencing or exclusion.

According to him, the issue of victimisation is complex and cannot be addressed with a sweeping generalisation, as realities differ from one state to another.

“Whether Christians are being victimised in Nigeria is a very difficult question to answer. It has to be examined on a state-by-state basis,” Dogara said.

He added that while Christians in some states enjoy freedom of worship without discrimination, there are areas in parts of Northern Nigeria where religious tensions persist.

“There are absolute states where, as a Christian, you don’t have any problem. But from the information available to us, there are pockets of problems in certain parts of the North that we need to work on,” he noted.

The former Speaker stressed that resolving such challenges would require sincere collaboration between Christians and Muslims who are committed to peaceful coexistence.

He urged religious leaders and stakeholders to work together to address grievances and strengthen unity across communities.