I have been following different content creators who speak on security issues, including VDM, Asha Yusuf, Ned Media, Jenj Media, Marcel Okocha, and my very good friend at BVI. One recurring concern that has been raised, especially by Marcel Okocha, is the rise of radical Islamic jihadists and the security threats they pose to Nigeria.
One alarming report is that the leadership of Miyetti Allah is being decimated by radical Fulani herdsmen. This raises a crucial question: Who owns these cows? We have coexisted with herdsmen for years, dating back to the 1922 book The Dual Mandate by Lord Lugard, yet their recent aggressive behavior is unprecedented. Why are indigenous communities in the Middle Belt, Western Nigeria, Eastern Nigeria, and Southern Nigeria suddenly under attack?
A while ago, I mentioned that Governor El-Rufai stated that the bandits and herdsmen are not Nigerians but outsiders brought in to destabilize Goodluck Jonathan’s government. When President Buhari was sworn in for his second term, the first foreign leader to visit him was the President of Guinea. It is well known that many Fulani in Nigeria originate from the Fouta Djallon region of Guinea. In Sierra Leone, where I have traveled, I have witnessed gradual Islamization, with Fulani communities buying up prime real estate and changing the societal landscape.
Recently, there was an alarming post allegedly made and later deleted by El-Rufai’s son, warning that the people of Southern Kaduna could face extermination if they did not comply with certain demands. Across Northern Nigeria, Christian and animist communities are being overrun, renamed, and systematically terrorized. Even in Southwestern Nigeria, Governor Seyi Makinde acknowledged that Fulani bandits were just a few kilometers from where he commissioned a road in Oyo State.
In states like Ebonyi and Edo, resistance to Islamization is growing. Young people in Edo recently protested against this creeping agenda. Interestingly, the moderate Fulani elites who traditionally owned cattle before the rise of radical elements are also being targeted for elimination because they oppose this violence.
A crucial question remains: Where does the ransom money from banditry and kidnappings go? Clearly, it is funding a larger agenda. I saw a young man online confessing that he was trained as part of a movement. Many Fulani radicals have grown up in these communities and are now being used to terrorize locals. Traveling from Lagos to Benin has become a dangerous ordeal due to rampant kidnappings.
This brings me to my key concern: What are Christian leaders doing about this crisis? Apart from Catholic bishops, who have felt the brunt of priest kidnappings and killings, there is deafening silence. The Catholic Church has historically provided education, healthcare, and welfare services and is, therefore, a prime target. Instead of focusing on internal doctrinal disputes and arresting critics, church leaders should be speaking out. If disaster strikes, their congregations will be left defenseless.
History has shown that silence leads to downfall. The grand Hagia Sophia in Türkiye was once a thriving Christian cathedral before being captured and converted into a mosque. The early churches in Ephesus and Thyatira no longer exist. If Christians in Nigeria remain complacent, the same fate could befall them.
Brethren, shine your eyes! Speak out before it is too late.
I remain Dr. Charles Apoki.
God bless you.
