Nigeria Risks Bloody Disintegration Under Your Watch If… Former US Envoy Tells Tinubu
By Olumuyiwa Olumuyiwa
Former United States Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, Sam Brownback, has expressed concern over the spate of killings in the country stressing that the country may witness a bloody disintegration if the rising insecurity, sectarian hostility and other factors responsible for the situation continue unabated.
While emphasizing the magnitude of the challenges besetting the country, Brownback noted that Nigeria has reached a “breaking point” particularly for the Christian faithful.
The former US envoy issued the warning in a recent speech captured in a viral video
He noted that identifying as a Christian in the Africa most populous nation has become dangerous adding that Nigeria has become “deadly, if not the most deadly place on the planet to be a Christian,”.
“Breaking point, stop the killings now or face a split of the country,” Brownback said.
He continued, “That’s not going to be able to sustain itself and continue without leading to a violent split up of the country. And I say those words cautiously, and I don’t like saying those words, but I believe it to be the truth.”
The former US envoy stressed that Nigeria is sitting on a powder keg and it would be disastrous for the country if those wielding the lever of power fold their arms and do nothing to address the situation.
He added that the imminent violence would be far-reaching, happening on a scale that would not affect only Christians but also the liberal Muslims.
“If the Nigerian government now does not get on top of this situation of what’s taking place in Nigeria, and has been now for a number of years, if they don’t get on top of it and start protecting their people, particularly the Christian community and the moderate Muslim communities that are being attacked, if they don’t stop this, this is going to lead to broader bloodshed throughout Nigeria and probably a splitting up of the country. And it’s that dramatic,” he said.
The former US’ envoy’s reaction was prompted by a surge in the wave of killings, kidnappings and allied insecurity spreading across the country.
The North-western region of the country used to be the hotbed of insecurity but it has now spread to Kwara State located in the North central as religious zealots masquerading as bandits, and terrorists are now making incursion into the Southwest.
Death tolls recorded as a result of the attacks from bandits and terrorists keep mounting by the day. Recently, a group of armed bandits killed over 150 people in Woro community in Kwara State.
