Archbishop Adewale Martins: Mass  Abduction of School Children in Nigeria is Troubling

Super Saturday

Insecurity in Nigeria has grown so severe that it now poses a major national concern, threatening the very fabric of our existence. Hardly a day passes without reports of violence, destruction, or loss of life. Over time, these incidents have taken on a troubling pattern, often leaving churches and Christian communities at the receiving end—raising both national and global alarm. While some describe the situation as persecution, others view it as “genocide,” underscoring its urgency. In this exclusive interview, the Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, Alfred Adewale Martins, reflects on the escalating crisis. He warns that the mass abduction of school children is deeply troubling and reflects a broader failure to protect citizens. He stresses that Nigeria’s insecurity persists largely because of a lack of political will, urging leaders to take decisive action to safeguard lives and restore public confidence. Ferdinand Ekechukwu and Sunday Ehigiator bring the excerpts.

There have been allegations about  Christian genocide in Nigeria, which has raised debates across divides. Given your position, do you think there is Christian genocide in Nigeria?

Well, I think that the discussion around whether there is genocide or not is such that it is capable of covering the real major issue. The word genocide is not the same as the word rain, for example. Genocide has a definition that is as different from the word rain as everybody can say there is no controversy around it. I think it is more useful not to focus on the word and leave out the issues. I believe that the major issues around it, we want to know what the facts are, what is the truth of the situation in our country. I think that if people are talking about persecution of Christians, there is a context to it which I think is important in the whole discussion. I mean, we had a time when Ibrahim Babangida was president of this country and he smuggled Nigeria into the Organisation of Islamic Countries. That is the context in which we are talking about persecution in Nigeria. We have had the fact that efforts have been made to put the Sharia law into the constitution of Nigeria. These efforts have been going on and they have not ended. We have the fact that there are some states in Nigeria that have Sharia law in implementation and it is still there today. Even though Nigeria is a secular state, these efforts have been made, and those states that have introduced the Sharia law, they are states that also have people of other religions. So this is the kind of context in which people are talking about genocide or no genocide. As I said, I don’t want to get involved in the use of the word, but I think we are talking about the fact that people feel persecuted. I mean the present insecurity and killings that we have now. You remember that it started many years ago and it was only churches that were being attacked. It was only Christian institutions that were being attacked. And it went on for a while until at some point in time, I think because people were beginning to get conscious of the fact that only churches were being attacked, then there were attacking of other institutions, mosques and the rest of it. When you go to the beginning of these insecurity, you find out that it started with attacks on Christian institutions. So, and unfortunately also, we find out that even these attacks as it is today, especially on the Christian, they are oftentimes in places that are populated mostly by Christians. I’m talking about Benue, Plateau States in particular and other similar states. So, all of these give impression that there is an agenda against Christians. We know too that when these peoples are attacked in their villages, they are forced to go to Internally Displaced Persons’ (IDPs’) camps. They remain in IDP camps for years, while their villages are either left uninhabited or even inhabited by bandits. They cannot go back to their homes, simply because bandits have made it unlivable for them there. And those places are populated mostly by Christians. So, all of these naturally leave quite an impression. You also remember the fact that in parts of the north, you couldn’t build a church ordinarily on your own. We have reports that you can’t build, not because you don’t want to build, but because you don’t get the approvals that are needed from civil authorities. All of these contexts naturally leave a great impression that there is a problem with Christians and Christianity, or there is a problem for Christians and Christianity in those areas of the country. I can also say that when these people are driven from their homes and their homes are occupied by either bandits or make it impossible for them to go back, it naturally leaves a lot to be desired. then, of course, let’s talk about all the issues. Of course, about a month ago, we heard of some effort to, as it were, introduce or, is it even to inaugurate, some economic strategy. Economic strategy has a name that naturally will bring some concern to people. If you call it the National Halal Economy Strategy, naturally, it rings a bell in the minds of people when all of these other situations are already happening around us. So, I think that it is necessary not to get bogged down by the words, but rather to face the issues and be able to come to an understanding of what exactly is happening among us. Thank God that economic strategy was put on hold. I think that was a very sensitive, I mean, that was a good decision to make. But I think we need to go through the House and the public debate in order to be able to… So, this is a context, I think, in which people feel, in which Christians feel, maybe not even Christians, but Christianity feels it is under persecution.

United States President Donald Trump recently redesignated Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern,” after the Biden administration removed Nigeria from the list. How do you respond to Trump’s stance?

Well, again, calling us a ‘country of particular concern’ has its own implications. But I think what is even more important is that the addition of our country, again, should simply make us to wake up to the needs to do something about what brought it up in the first instance. Obviously, President Trump has his own ways of expressing his thoughts and feelings and desires and how he wants to do it and all of those things. But I think from a patriotic point of view, you feel uneasy that he’s speaking about us in that way. You feel uneasy, you feel, we’re an independent country, why is he talking about us like that? But at the same time, we need to look at the context and see what we are going to do in order to get out of that situation. I think that’s more important than to be bogged down by what he calls us and what he doesn’t call us.

Would you say this designation, in a way reflects Nigeria’s situation?

In many ways, when he talks about us as a country of particular interest, we are indeed a country of particular interest because of the situation that we are undergoing at the moment. But I think we need to look beyond also our own situation as a country. I think what is happening to us now has a global dimension to it, which we cannot set aside, and indeed, it’s important for even Trump himself to recognise that this is not just about this country. Our country is only an example of, in my own understanding, a bigger agenda that is there in our world that needs to be addressed by all countries. I believe, for instance, that there is a global effort to introduce another kind of civilisation to our world. A civilisation that it is believed is superior to the degenerating culture that you find in some parts of the world. I’m saying this because you see the efforts to introduce another civilisation playing out in different ways. Yeah, well, my own understanding of it, I don’t know enough about Al-Qaeda, but Al-Qaeda is often the one behind these whole things. I mean, what works in one situation does not work in another. And so you find out that there is an effort to change the demography in some parts of the world and therefore be able to tweak things in order to introduce a new civilisation. Perhaps that works in some parts of the world. But for us, maybe it’s to engineer such groups as Boko Haram, as ISWAP, and all of these other terrorist groups. I think it’s to use them to try and be the point from which this new civilisation is introduced to Nigeria, of course, and the rest of Africa, and then further afield. And so I think it’s important that even though, yes, Trump is concerned about a country of particular concern, he should also be concerned about the fact that there is an effort to introduce a new civilisation. They have it in the U.S., they have it all over the world, in which this aggressive effort to create another civilisation is justified or not. That’s not the issue, but being able to make the effort and pursue it in such an intentional way, for me, is a cause of concern, which I believe all people need to pay attention to.

Still within the context of insecurity, Nigeria has witnessed multiple mass abductions of schoolchildren recently. What aspect of this tragedy troubles you the most?

Every aspect of it is troubling. Every aspect of the kidnapping of children is certainly very troubling. Every child has the right to be able to study in an environment that is safe and secure, and that doesn’t feel under any threat. So that people will go there at all, and cause them the trauma that they are doing is certainly very troubling. And that not just go there, but also now carrying them away into the forest and use them for ransom purposes is obviously very troubling. And there is nothing that can be good about the situation of kidnapping children from schools. I mean, you have destroyed, so to speak, their childhood, and they will not be the same anymore. I mean, when some of them get married out to people, and at that tender point of their lives, they are not ready for this kind of stress, it’s obviously not good.

What urgent measures would you recommend to government to protect students across the country?

Well, the government has all the paraphernalia of securing people. The police, the military, the other security agencies they need to be mobilised more in order to make them present, at least to give a sense of security to the staff and the students of those schools. I think, I mean, there are security experts in government and out of government. They are the ones who should really be working these things out for us, so as to ensure that our children are safe. I think we really are doing very badly when our children cannot study in an environment that is conducive.

Do you think shutting down schools, as we have seen in some states in the north and some federal unity schools, is the way out of this situation following these attacks?

Well, to the extent that children who have suffered trauma need to be given a moment of respite, it is appropriate that schools should be shut down. But that can only be a temporary measure. There have to be ways and means of ensuring that the safety and security of our children goes beyond shutting, I mean, they have to come back to school anyway. It is their future we are talking about, it is the future of the country, their families. So the security simply needs to be beefed up. Our security experts need to just work it out and ensure that people get what is due to them as citizens.

Many factors have been ascribed to insecurity. In your view, what factors are driving the rise of insecurity we are seeing today?

Well, I mean, I mentioned earlier on about this global thing that is certainly part of it in my own understanding. I also think that, you know, the story we hear about Boko Haram, for instance, is that it was introduced for political purposes, for election purposes. So what is there to say that it is not for the same purpose when 2027 is around the corner? One cannot rule it out as one of the factors that is responsible for this. And certainly, the fact that… Anyway, let me leave it at that. I think those are factors that I believe must be part of the insecurities.

In your recent press statement, you said some elements deliberately want to throw Nigeria into chaos. Can you shed more light on this?

Yes, I thought that the elements that want to create chaos and what I’ve mentioned before. The global movement that is zeroing down on our country, Al-Qaeda, and then, of course, those groups within our own country that Al-Qaeda and the world global movement is able to use, the Boko Haram, the Lakorawas, the Gwandins, and all of these. I believe that in many ways, those are the things I would see as wanting to create chaos in the country.

And you don’t think it’s a case or the result of leadership failure or weak political will?

Well, my own reading of the situation is that, yes, these groups are creating the insecurities and the rest of it. But for too long, we have not had an adequate response to the challenge that it poses to our country. Governments have come and gone, military chiefs have come and gone, many years now, and the problem remains. For me, it shows, in some sense, a lack of the will to deal with the situation and deal with it appropriately well enough. I mean, people have been talking about different kinds of ways of helping to resolve those kinds of issues. But why are we still there? So, obviously, it is a lack of will to do that which needs to be done. And oftentimes, we have heard, true or false, about instructions being given to attack or to go to some particular place. And then some other counter-instruction comes that says you should not go ahead. We have been hearing about all of this. It shows that there is not the will to deal with the situation as there should be. And this is very unfortunate.

How much of this insecurity do you think stems from socio-economic deprivation?

Well, there’s the saying is that the idle hand is the devil’s workshop. So, naturally, when people are unemployed, when people have nothing to look forward to, they are poorly educated, the social net does not include them. Naturally, it creates a fertile ground for the sort of thing that we are talking about. So, social problems, economic problems, certainly are part and parcel of why we are where we are. I think if some of those guys that are recruited by these different groups had something tangible to look forward to, they are not likely to, at least most, are not likely to join. And those who are being recruited by force, they certainly would not be amenable to being recruited by force if they had something to look forward to.

How can Nigeria rebuild trust between government and citizens amid these security failures?

Well, I think that first of all, government needs to show that it pays attention to whatever concerns are brought forward. I mean, for instance, Christians have this concern now. The only way to build trust is to say, well, all other governments have not done it; we are going to ensure that this is done. I mean, the present government, that will generate trust. And not just saying it, but also saying actions to back it up certainly will help to build trust, will help to build confidence. And the fact that people know they are being taken seriously makes a lot of difference.

As a leader in the Catholic Church, how is the Church contributing to peace building and conflict resolution in Nigeria?

Well, the Catholic Church over the years has tried to make her own contributions to building peace. For instance, at the moment, I am the chair of what we call the Church and Society Department of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria, the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria. And part of the Church and Society is the Caritas Nigeria, which has as its aim to help to build peace all over the country. And where there are humanitarian problems, to be present to take care of them. And this has been going on for years. In all the places where we have these troubles shooting up wherever, the Caritas Nigeria is present offering support and help. And out there in Kaduna, we have the sisters of the OLE who are engaged in peace building across religious divide. And they really are working in that regard. We have the Justice Development and Peace Commission that is all over this country doing bits and pieces there in order to ensure that communities are together and they are doing right. And of course, from time to time, when needs arise, the Conference makes statements of what needs to be done in order that peace can be established and that it can continue to be sustained. So I believe the Catholic Church is doing its own bit.

But do you think religious leaders—Christian and Islamic—have done enough to discourage violence and extremism?

Well, I can say that we are trying our best; trying our best in the sense of the fact that we are constantly letting our people know that every human being is created in the image and likeness of God. And therefore, he deserves respect; he deserves his right to life, and his right to good life. That is one of the things that we preach is part of the social teaching of the church, universal social teaching of the church. And we have constantly been preaching that as church. Of course, anomalies and all the other, I believe we are doing our best as far as that is concerned. And of course, we try not to escalate situations when they arise, but rather see how to find solutions to problems. So I believe we are doing our best.

A prominent cleric, Apostle Johnson Suleiman, recently argued that more attention should be placed on Islamic clerics who inflame tensions. In the light of the last question you just answered, in terms of building and maintenance in Nigeria, how important is the role of religious leaders in sustaining peace?

Well, I’m aware of that, I understand, I didn’t see it myself, but I understand that when all these issues began, the Sultan of Sokoto and the President of CAN made a joint appeal for peace. That is something. But certainly, it should not just be at the apex level. That call should also be going on at the lower levels, in the different churches, in the different mosques, such that when the leaders of the two major religions talk at that level, there has to be a way of ensuring that those who are down the line are also, because we have heard of situations in which we hear of how sentiments are being whipped up in mosques. Of course, maybe there are some also in our churches. But the important thing is for everybody to recognise the fact that either war or indiscriminate killings or people being aggressive towards one another does not help anybody. In the end, everybody loses. And, of course, the future is put in jeopardy. So, I believe that it’s something the call and the effort should be made by all Islamic and Christian and even people of other religions. We should all be looking for peace.

You earlier mentioned our DSS and security personnel, and what they are doing. Do you believe our security agencies are adequately equipped and motivated to tackle these threats? What reforms would you recommend for a more effective National security response?

Well, I know that I have seen video clips of military personnel speaking out about the fact that they don’t have adequate equipment and all of that. I mean, I’m not sure that any military person will do that if it is not true. So if that is the case, then it is absolutely important that such persons should not just be simply punished, what they are saying, should be looked into. And they need to be given the kind of equipment that they need. But beyond that, to also be empowered to do that which they should do with the equipment. I mean, we have heard, as I said before, we have heard of instructions being given and then counter instructions being given overriding that. So naturally that creates a problem for the men on the field. Apart from that, there has also been this discussion around state police. I think, as a person, with my little knowledge, that it is important to think about it very carefully. Yes, indeed, there have been problems with the use of police in the past. That governors and the rest of them, political, they use them. But is there no way that all the experts we have can plug all those loopholes? Because I think we have more to gain if we have police that are in smaller pockets. We have more to gain than if everybody is the way it is at this moment. So I believe that that is another way of helping to secure the nation better.

What message would you give to Christian and Muslim leaders about working together to restore peace in divided communities?

Absolutely, we have an urgent and very necessary role to play. First of all, when we begin to recognise our common humanity, that we all are children of God, we all are citizens of the country. We all have dignities as children of God. That should override any other sentiment. Our common humanity is the basis, the foundation for our living together. And it should be emphasised. Everybody should understand that and put that first in their response to issues. And I believe too that religious leaders also want to be aware of the fact that what they say to their followers carries some weight. And therefore we should be measured, we should be careful because words, as they say, they are so very fragile. Once it breaks, it’s difficult to put together. And words can easily create fire rather than peace. So, I think it’s important for all of us to just simply be aware of this.

As a shepherd of millions of Nigerian Catholics, what message do you have for Christians and all Nigerians during these perilous times?

We are all Nigerians by the Grace of God, irrespective of our differences. And the differences are many. But when we recognise the fact that our differences can be exploited by people for their own personal, selfish goals, then we should be wise and not allow ourselves to be set against one another. Respect one another, respect our positions, respect our differences, but never allow these differences to be sources of conflagration, the burning down of this country. We should all be preaching that, we should all believe that and preach it and live by it.

Finally, Your Grace, what is your single most important appeal to the government and to the citizens?

My one appeal to the government, as I have mentioned earlier, is to try and get the trust of people of all sections of our country. At this point in time, Christians have this concern. Government needs to listen and to take that concern seriously. And not to just simply try to downplay it or to whitewash it, but rather to recognise that there is a concern and there are reasons for the concern. And then, having recognised that, also do something that can be recognised as providing solutions to the concerns. Insecurity, for instance, at this time, needs to pay more adequate attention. And I think that perhaps more than any other thing the statement of President Trump is just a call to action on our part to solve our problems. Yes, I mean, obviously one doesn’t expect Trump or anyone to come and solve our problems. Every country has its own agenda. They have their own national priorities. And so, even after we have been angry about the way he said it, we need to come down home and take care of our situation