Former Kaduna Central Senator, Shehu Sani, has criticised U.S. President Donald Trump over his recent threat to launch military action against Nigeria if the alleged persecution of Christians continues.
Reacting to Trump’s post on Truth Social, in which he warned that the U.S. “may very well go into that now disgraced country, ‘guns-a-blazing,’ to completely wipe out the Islamic terrorists,” Sani condemned both the tone and implication of the statement.
In a post shared on X on Monday, the human rights activist rejected Trump’s description of Nigeria as a “disgraced country,” saying such remarks insult the pride and dignity of the nation.
“Someday we will all be gone. The future generations, including our children and grandchildren, will read about all that we posted and ask questions about where we stood on the urgent and controversial matters in this moment of our lifetime.
“I want history to record me among those who outrightly opposed, reject and unreservedly condemn any act of Mr Trump’s foreign military aggression against my country under any guise, disguise or excuse,” Sani wrote.
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He insisted that Nigeria has no record of colonising or invading other nations, and therefore does not deserve to be labelled a “disgraced country.”
He said, “My country is not a ‘disgraced country’ and will never be a ‘disgraced country.’ Anyone who is proud of his mother, who gave birth to him after months of labour in his ancestral land, will not accept his land being called ‘disgraced’.
“We are not a nation that has ever colonised, enslaved or invaded any country or countries and dropped bombs and killed millions of people and plundered their resources. Without such a record against other countries, we can’t be called ‘disgraced’.”
While acknowledging Nigeria’s ongoing security challenges, the former senator maintained that the country remains open to international cooperation in tackling terrorism.
He said Nigeria “has been facing security challenges in the last 16 years” and would “welcome any support and assistance to our security forces that will help in crushing and annihilating terrorists in our country.”
Sani also urged the government to strengthen its commitment to citizens’ safety. “The government must step up efforts to protect the lives of our people and secure our country, which is the only country we can live without a visa or request for a visa,” he added.
“As a democrat, I respect but will never share the opinion of those who think otherwise, and want history to register them as supporters of foreign aggression,” he said.
In September, Sani had similarly criticised U.S. commentator Bill Maher for alleging that Christians in Nigeria were being systematically killed. He also rejected Trump’s earlier claim designating Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” over alleged religious persecution, describing such assertions as “falsehood and misinformation.”
According to him, terrorist attacks in Nigeria target people “irrespective of their religious beliefs,” not based on faith or denomination.
