Faith under fire: Nigeria needs decisive action now
By Ogechi Okoro
By any moral standard, the repeated killing of innocent people gathered in places of worship is an affront to humanity. In Nigeria today, that affront has become a disturbing pattern, one that demands not only outrage but urgent and sustained action.
For many observers, especially those directly affected, it is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore the apparent targeting of Christian worshippers. Attacks on churches, particularly during significant religious periods, have deepened fears and reinforced a perception that these acts are not random, but deliberate. Historical incidents such as the killing of Gideon Akaluka remain powerful symbols of how religious identity can intersect with violence in deeply troubling ways.
Yet, Nigeria’s crisis cannot be reduced to a single narrative. The country faces a web of security challenges, insurgency in the northeast, banditry in the northwest, farmer–herder conflicts in the Middle Belt, kidnapping in the Southeast, and systemic governance gaps that allow violence to persist. Extremist groups like Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province have inflicted suffering on both Christians and Muslims alike. Acknowledging this complexity is not an attempt to dilute the pain of any group; rather, it is essential for crafting solutions that are grounded in reality.
Still, one fact remains indisputable: Nigerians are being killed while peacefully practising their faith. Whether in churches or mosques, such acts strike at the very core of a pluralistic society. When citizens cannot gather in worship without fear, the social contract itself begins to erode.
The responsibility to confront this crisis rests first with leadership. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, like his predecessors, faces the enormous task of restoring public confidence in the state’s ability to protect lives. This moment calls for more than rhetoric. It requires visible, decisive measures, strengthening intelligence systems, ensuring rapid security responses, and holding perpetrators accountable without delay or bias.
But government action alone is not enough. Religious and community leaders across all faiths must continue to reject violence unequivocally. Nigeria has a long history of interfaith coexistence, and many leaders, both Muslim and Christian, have worked tirelessly to preserve that legacy. Their voices must grow louder, not only in condemning violence but in actively countering the ideologies that attempt to justify it.
There is also a broader societal obligation. Narratives that inflame division or assign collective blame risk deepening the very fractures that violence exploits. At the same time, dismissing legitimate concerns about patterns of attacks only fuels frustration and mistrust. What is required is an honest, balanced reckoning, one that neither ignores reality nor weaponises it.
Ultimately, this is about the sanctity of human life. No doctrine, no grievance, no political failure can justify the slaughter of people gathered in peace. If Nigeria is to move forward, it must reaffirm a simple but profound principle: that every life, regardless of faith or identity, is equally worthy of protection.
The normalisation of such violence is not inevitable. It is a failure of will, of systems, and of leadership. And it is a failure that can and must be reversed.
Arise, the Jagaban, this is your moment to rise above doubt, above fear, above hesitation.
Every challenge before you is a call to greatness.
- Dr. Ogechi Okoro writes from Hamilton, New Zealand
