Pastor Matthew Ashimolowo has raised grave concerns about the wave of violent attacks on Christian communities across the country, drawing from his own experiences and the troubling patterns he believes have persisted for decades.
Speaking at a briefing ahead of his Chris Compassion to the Rural World crusade, he described Nigeria’s security situation as a five headed serpent, wondering how terrorism has managed to thrive for more than fifteen years without a decisive response from the authorities. He questioned why the Federal Government has allowed the crisis to drag on, especially when lives continue to be lost in circumstances he believes show clear signs of targeted hostility.
Ashimolowo said his views are shaped not by hearsay but by a lifetime of witnessing unrest. Born and raised in the military barracks in Zaria, he recalled the riots he saw as a young boy, moments he said remain vivid because of the brutality involved. He recounted how people were singled out because of their ethnic identity, dragged from their homes and killed in broad daylight while soldiers struggled to contain the chaos. According to him, what happened then fits the description of genocide, as defined by the deliberate attempt to destroy a particular group of people.
He also spoke about the long history of tensions and violence in Southern Kaduna, noting that many attacks were driven by disputes over land and religion. In his words, people were cut down like animals simply because they refused to surrender their ancestral territory or change their faith. He questioned how such targeted violence could be described as anything other than genocide.
Ashimolowo brought up several high profile killings that shook the country. He referenced the murder of Deborah Samuel in Sokoto, who was attacked after telling classmates that their discussion group was meant for academic work. He expressed shock that lawyers stepped forward to defend her killers instead of condemning the act.
He also mentioned the death of Evangelist Eunice in Abuja, describing how she was brutally attacked for preaching early in the morning. According to him, her murder was another grim reminder of the dangers faced by Christians in parts of the country.
Quoting the late Dr Obadiah Mailafia, he condemned the slow response of security operatives to distress calls during attacks. He further questioned allegations that helicopters had been spotted delivering weapons to terrorists, asking why such claims were never thoroughly investigated if the country was serious about ending the violence.
He criticised statements and broadcasts suggesting that the entire nation belonged to a particular religious or historical figure, saying such ideas only fuel division and hostility. He argued that some powerful interests seem uncomfortable with gatherings that highlight these realities and call for accountability.
On the abduction of schoolgirls in different parts of the North, he lamented the horrors the victims endured, from trafficking to forced conversion, child abuse, rape and, in many cases, murder. He said Nigerians were eventually told that some of the perpetrators had been forgiven, a claim he strongly challenged. He asked who granted such forgiveness and under what legal process, warning that it is dangerous to absorb people with such crimes into the nation’s security system.
Throughout his remarks, Ashimolowo insisted that the pattern of attacks, the silence surrounding them and the lack of decisive action all point to a troubling agenda that must be confronted.
