Amid renewed discussions about Nigeria’s security challenges, particularly its recent designation as a Country of Particular Concerned (CPC) by the United States, key Nigerian groups and peace advocates are calling for unity, caution, and locally driven reforms to address the ongoing violence by Boko Harm and other terrorist organizations affecting communities across the country.
Their message is clear: The Boko Haram insurgency and the insecurity bedeviling the nation remain a national tragedy affecting both Christians and Muslims, and the priority should be building internal harmony and strengthening homegrown solutions to restore peace.
For over a decade, Boko Haram, formally known as Jama’atu Ahlis-Sunnah lid Da’awati wal-Jihad, has waged a brutal insurgency across Nigeria’s northeast and the wider Lake Chad region.
Founded in 2002 and having become a violent insurgent group in 2009, the group opposes Western-style education and seeks to impose strict Islamic law. Its atrocities have included bombings of churches and mosques, large-scale kidnappings such as the 2014 abduction of 276 Chibok schoolgirls, and attacks on markets, bus stations, and military facilities.
The humanitarian consequences have been devastating, with reports of around 35,000 civilian deaths and over 2 million displacements due to the conflict.
Despite frequent assumptions that Boko Haram primarily targets Christians, the group’s victims span religious lines. Former President Muhammadu Buhari once highlighted this reality, stating in 2020 that “some 90 percent of all Boko Haram’s victims have been Muslims,” emphasizing that the insurgency has shattered communities regardless of faith.
The designation led to debates among Muslims and Christians, especially on social media, each claiming being most affected by the decades violence.
In the midst of these debates, several peace advocates, including both Muslim and Christian leaders, are calling for restraint, unity, and dialogue. They are urging Nigerians to implement locally driven reforms to address the ongoing violence and build long-term peace.
The Nigerian Government’s Response
The Nigerian government has recently intensified efforts to combat Boko Haram and related insurgent groups through a combination of military, financial, security, and rehabilitation measures. The government increased military firepower and successfully reclaimed territories previously occupied by insurgents.
Security funding has been boosted, with additional equipment supplied to security agencies, and greater recognition given to local vigilante and hunter groups. Discussions on strengthening state policing have also been revived.
The military and other security forces have made efforts to trace and block Boko Haram’s funding channels, including kidnapping for ransom, illegal levies, and external financial support. International partners such as the UN and EU are being engaged to assist in these efforts.
Given the cross-border nature of the insurgency, a new strategy was introduced involving the deployment of forest guards across more than 1,100 forests used as insurgent hideouts, enhancing security in the areas. State governments have also invested significantly in rehabilitation and reintegration programmes for repentant fighters to reduce active militant numbers.
“Our Unity is Our Strength”
The Northern Consensus Movement for Peace, Unity, Empowerment and Development Initiative (NSNCM) added its voice, warning against what it described as foreign-driven narratives that risk inflaming religious division.
“For decades, Nigerians have lived side by side in peace,” said Dr. Awwal Abdullahi Aliyu, the organisation’s National President. “Our unity is our strength, allowing foreign interests to divide us would be the greatest tragedy of all.”
He dismissed claims of a government-sponsored campaign against Christians, and noted that “the killings and kidnappings across Nigeria affect both Christians and Muslims.” Labeling the situation as “Christian genocide,” he added, “is inaccurate and misleading.”
Dr. Aliyu also warned that foreign intervention disguised as humanitarian concern could worsen instability, noting that US military interventions in other countries have left behind “broken nations and shattered economies.”
The Root Causes of the Violence, and Calls for Dialogue and Justice
Similarly, the Kaduna chapter of the Supreme Council for Sharia in Nigeria (SCSN) rejected the US classification. The Council Secretary, engineer Hassan Abdul Rahman, said the decision reflects “a one-sided narrative that ignores the complex realities driving violence across Nigeria.”
He argued that Nigeria’s insecurity stems from “a complex web of ethnic, political, and economic challenges,” not a religiously motivated war.
The allegations of Christian genocide, he said, are false, and threaten national unity. He urged Nigerians to avoid falling into sectarian traps encouraged by external forces. “Through understanding, dialogue, and cooperation, Nigeria can overcome its challenges and build a peaceful future for all,” he said.
Pastor Yohanna Buru, founder of the Peace Revival and Reconciliation Foundation, pointed to the ongoing regrouping by Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) as core drivers of insecurity, rather than a campaign targeting Christians. He emphasized that the crisis is more complex than the narratives given, listing political issues, religious-heterogeneous differences, and extremism as factors.
He also said that “people who caused the real problem” were some Nigerian political actors who amplified internal grievances in ways that led to misunderstanding of the country’s situation.
Pastor Buru outlined a broad list of peace-building strategies. “Let there be justice, equity to all, dialogue with all sundry, provide job opportunities for our teeming and jobless youth,” he said, calling to ensure “inclusiveness in leadership at all levels.”
He warned against politicizing security and stressed the need to “end corruption at all levels.” Religious leaders who preach hatred, he argued, must be banned or punished decisively. He called for strong interfaith engagement between Muslims and Christians.
Concerned Nigerian Elders: Reject Rumours, Resist Division
Former Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme and peace advocate Usman Yusuf, a professor of haematology-oncology from Ahmadu Bello University, similarly urged calm, saying Nigerians must not allow rumours or misleading narratives to fracture interfaith relations.
“Among Christians and Muslims there is a strong bond, and we have lived together peacefully,” he said, warning, “What some people want to bring among us is division. We will not sit with our arms folded and just watch.”
Professor Yusuf said he and other elders, under the banner of Concerned Nigerian Citizens, are engaging traditional rulers, Islamic scholars, Christian leaders, and government officials to prevent conflict.
“Rumors should not be allowed to create conflict between Muslims and Christians,” he insisted. “Whatever has been said about the alleged killing of Christians is not true. And anyone who loves peace in Nigeria knows it is not true.”
According to him, every single life regardless of faith matters and should be protected by authorities.
NCYP: Strengthen Local Security, Maintain Sovereignty
The coalition group Northern Christian Youth Professionals (NCYP) commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for recent reforms in the security sector. The group expressed particular support for the newly approved Armed Forest Guard and renewed calls for State Police.
NCYP reminded the government that although President Tinubu approved the Forest Guard initiative on May 14, 2025, “its implementation has had limited impact due to the alienation of forest communities from the initiative.”
They insisted that local communities and traditional rulers must guide recruitment, saying these communities “are naturally more motivated and committed to ending the menace.” They further encouraged the US and international partners, rather than sending troops, to offer technical assistance and training that strengthens Nigeria’s sovereignty while supporting efforts toward national peace and stability.
Keywords: Nigeria, Nigerian, Christian, Muslim, peace advocates, peace, conflict, conflict resolution, Kaduna, Northern Nigeria
