Boko Haram may kill both Christians and Muslims, but let’s tell ourselves the truth — the Fulani Bandits are the most ruthless and heartless terrorists Nigeria has ever seen. They have turned Christian-dominated communities in the North into graveyards. From Southern Kaduna to Benue, Taraba, Plateau, and other Christian enclaves across Northern Nigeria, blood now flows like water.
Before Muhammadu Buhari took over from Goodluck Jonathan in 2015, nobody heard of Fulani Bandits in this country. They didn’t exist. It was the coming of Buhari — and the northern political cabal that followed him — that opened the gates of hell. They imported these killers from the Sahel. Even former APC secretary, Hon. Bugaje, confirmed it in one of his interviews.
We remember vividly when Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State confessed openly that he paid ransom to Fulani Bandits to “appease” them. The governor of Bauchi State also defended these marauders, saying they had a right to live anywhere in Nigeria. Can you imagine? People who burn villages, rape women, slaughter farmers, and abduct schoolchildren — yet our leaders talk about their “rights.”
Even Alhaji Buba Galadima once said that Buhari was brought in to stop the influence of the Odua Progressives Congress in the South-West. In the process, his regime opened Nigeria’s borders to dangerous Fulani militias. Buhari is a Fulani man, and during his time, the lives of Christians in the North meant absolutely nothing to his government.
Today, the figures are horrifying. The International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) reported that within the first 220 days of 2025 alone, over 7,000 Christians were killed and nearly 8,000 abducted in Nigeria. From 2019 to 2023, no fewer than 16,769 Christians were massacred — more than double the number of Muslims killed in the same period. Since 2009, over 52,000 Nigerian Christians have been murdered in cold blood by jihadist groups like Boko Haram, ISWAP, and Fulani Bandits. These are not street rumours. These are verified statistics.
It all started as an allegation in the American Senate, but within days, the Trump administration issued a statement and then a threat to invade Nigeria. They claim they are protecting Christians. But we Nigerians — even we Christians — know the real motive. It’s not about religion. It’s about control.
The United States and its allies have never wanted Africa to be self-reliant. They want us to depend on them forever. When they couldn’t bully South Africa because of its alliance with Russia and China, they turned their eyes to Nigeria — the sleeping giant that is finally waking up.
Nigeria today is not the same submissive “Yes Big Brother” country it used to be. The Tinubu administration has drawn a firm line in the sand. Nigeria now refuses to be anyone’s dumping ground. When the U.S. requested the deportation of certain criminals, we said no — we would not allow our soil to be used for their political showmanship. We no longer ship crude oil to America only to import refined petrol back at premium prices. The days of subsidizing Western profit with Nigerian sweat are over.
Tinubu also blocked the avenue for illegal mining of our natural resources that had been looted for decades. The moment these illicit pipelines to free money were closed, the same old beneficiaries began to grumble. Nigeria has opened her doors to more trade with China and the BRICS nations, ending the Western monopoly that has held Africa in economic slavery.
One of the biggest upsets for Washington came recently when Elon Musk’s Tesla approached Nigeria to buy the country’s lithium — a critical component in manufacturing electric cars. President Tinubu, in his characteristic boldness, refused to sell the raw mineral. Instead, he told Tesla to come and establish electric car manufacturing plants in Nigeria, to create jobs for Nigerians and boost our local industry. That single move sent shockwaves across America. It was a reflection of how badly the U.S. has been hit by the transformation going on in Nigeria.
For the first time in decades, Nigeria is taking control of her destiny — refining oil locally, protecting her minerals, and insisting on value addition before export. That is why some foreign powers are uncomfortable.
I won’t be surprised if the U.S. has a hand in the failed coup attempt that shook the country recently. There are too many vulnerable allies among those who can no longer make easy money because of the removal of fuel and dollar subsidies. Since the coup failed, America has been looking for other ways to create chaos — to derail Nigeria’s recovery agenda and discredit the current administration.
Make no mistake: this is not about Christianity or human rights. It’s about the money they are no longer making from our misfortune. It’s about the resources they can no longer steal freely. It’s about a new Nigeria that no longer bows to Western pressure.
If you think this is about saving Christians, think again. Nigeria has begun to stand tall. We are now refining our raw materials locally — from oil to shea butter — and even Dangote Refinery is expanding to 1.4 million barrels per day, the largest in the world. That means America’s oil companies will soon lose their grip on the African market.
So when you see Western governments pretending to shed tears for Nigerian Christians, don’t be fooled. Their tears are mixed with greed and hypocrisy. They are after our crude, our lithium, our gold, and our independence.
Now is the time for Nigerians — Christians, Muslims, and all patriotic citizens — to unite and reject foreign manipulation. We must learn from Libya’s tragedy. Once the richest country in Africa under Gaddafi, it was bombed into chaos by the same powers claiming to protect democracy. Today, Libya is in ruins.
General Sani Abacha, for all his faults, understood one thing — how to resist Western manipulation. Nigeria must adopt that courage again. We must build alliances with nations that respect us, not those that treat us as a “cash cow” for their own economies and a few greedy cabals within our borders.
Fulani Bandits are terrorists, not victims. America’s sudden concern about Nigeria’s Christians is not compassion — it is calculation. If we allow them to use religion to divide us again, we will all end up like Libya, staring at the ashes of a once-great nation.
A word, they say, is enough for the wise.
Mogaji Wole Arisekola writes from Ibadan.
