Killing of Christians: Buhari Reveals His Response to Trump
President Muhammadu Buhari has recounted a private conversation with then United States President Donald Trump in which Trump questioned him about reports of Christians being killed in Nigeria.
Buhari spoke in Abuja during the First Year Ministerial Performance Review Retreat of his second term, recalling his visit to the White House.
According to Buhari, Trump asked him directly, “Why are you killing Christians?”
The President said he was initially taken aback by the question but proceeded to explain what he believed were the underlying causes of some of the violence in Nigeria.
Buhari said he told Trump that clashes between herders and farmers predated his administration and were being worsened by factors including population growth, pressure on land and climate change.
He rejected the suggestion that the violence should be understood simply as a religious or ethnic conflict.
According to him, the problem was rooted partly in long-standing social and economic tensions as well as failures by successive leaders to adequately address them.
Buhari said he tried to make clear that the conflicts were not driven by a government policy against Christians.
He also described the White House meeting as significant, noting that he was among the few African leaders from developing countries invited by Trump for direct discussions.
The President maintained that tackling insecurity required addressing the deeper causes of conflict rather than reducing the issue solely to religion or ethnicity.
