Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Femi Falana, has cautioned the Federal Government against allowing foreign intervention that could fuel religious conflict in Nigeria, warning specifically against any action that might promote a religious war under the guise of addressing insecurity.
Falana made the remarks while reacting to recent calls by some groups urging former United States President Donald Trump to intervene in Nigeria’s security challenges. He warned that framing Nigeria’s insecurity as a religious issue could have dangerous consequences for national unity and peace.
According to Falana, Nigeria’s security crisis is primarily a failure of governance and underfunding of critical institutions, particularly the armed forces. He urged the government to focus on properly equipping and funding the military and other security agencies rather than seeking external solutions that may come with political or religious undertones.
“The insecurity in Nigeria cannot and should not be reduced to a religious conflict,” Falana said. “Any attempt to internationalise the crisis along religious lines will only worsen the situation and threaten the country’s fragile unity.”
He stressed that Nigeria has the capacity to tackle its security challenges internally if resources allocated to defence are judiciously managed and deployed. Falana also called for improved welfare for security personnel, better intelligence gathering, and accountability in defence spending.
The senior lawyer further warned that foreign political actors, particularly those with strong ideological leanings, should not be allowed to influence Nigeria’s internal security policies in ways that could inflame sectarian tensions.
Nigeria has faced persistent security challenges, including terrorism, banditry and kidnapping, with debates ongoing over the best approach to restoring peace across affected regions.
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