Does ‘Christian genocide’ capture the reality of this nation’s security map?

February 17, 2026

TL;DR

Nigeria faces multifaceted security crises driven by regional factors like extremism in the northeast, banditry in the northwest, and farmer-herder conflicts in the Middle Belt.
US airstrikes on IS camps in Sokoto state were presented by President Trump as targeting those killing Christians, but the article suggests this is an oversimplification.
The conflicts have deep socio-economic roots, including land disputes intensified by climate change and demographic pressure, and are exploited by radicalized youth and transnational terrorist groups.
Separatist groups in the southeast and criminal elements in the oil-rich Niger Delta also contribute to the instability.
Nigerian Christian leaders express mixed reactions to US actions and rhetoric, with many calling for unity and a broader strategy addressing the complex socio-economic and governance issues rather than focusing on religious persecution alone.

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