Former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Professor Kingsley Moghalu, has condemned the continued killings and displacement of communities in parts of the country, describing them as clear violations of the right to life and evidence of state failure.
Moghalu, in a post on X on Saturday, said that while Boko Haram’s terror has claimed both Muslim and Christian victims, the attacks in Nigeria’s Middle Belt are predominantly targeted at Christian communities.
He dismissed claims that the violence is mainly about competition for land and water resources, arguing that such explanations cannot justify the massacre and eviction of entire communities from their ancestral homes.
According to him, the Nigerian government has a constitutional responsibility to protect the lives of citizens and secure every part of the country, adding that the existence of ungoverned spaces reflects a failure of governance.
Moghalu also noted that calls for foreign intervention have grown because many Nigerians believe their government has been unable to guarantee their safety.
He wrote: “The narrative of “Christian genocide” in Nigeria is a reference to a more sophisticated reality. I am Nigerian. I know the realities of my country.
“I also have access to top policymaking circles in several capitals around the world. The bald fact is that Boko Haram is a terrorist group with avowedly fanatic religious motivations.
“The victims of its terror include Muslims who don’t share their extreme interpretations of Islam, and Christians. The victims of killings in the Middle Belt are predominantly Christians.
“The narratives of a struggle for resources of land and water and farmlands are not valid when whole communities are being massacred and evicted from their ancestral dwellings. Nothing justifies this, not even a felt need for grazing lands.
“The right to life and other fundamental rights are being shredded both by Boko Haram and extremist herdsmen. This invokes the responsibility of @NigeriaGov to protect Nigerians and Nigerian territory. Period. No excuses. With a security strategy made evident by its effectiveness, Nigeria should then engage the influential foreign countries expressing interest in this matter.
“But we should not overlook the fact that activists and interest groups are seeking foreign intervention because they believe their own country has not been able to secure their lives.
“There should be no “ungoverned spaces” in any country, because such a phenomenon is directly opposed to the concept of effective government and governance. The existence of such spaces is evidence of state failure.”
Culled from Nationalposts