Trump wants to help not invade Nigeria, Ex-Guardian MD says on Inside Sources
During an appearance on Inside Sources with Laolu Akande on Channels TV on Friday, veteran journalist and former Managing Director of The Guardian, Martins Oloja, cautioned Nigerians against misrepresenting remarks credited to former U.S. President Donald Trump regarding alleged plans to “invade Nigeria.” Oloja said the comments have been blown out of proportion and taken […]
During an appearance on Inside Sources with Laolu Akande on Channels TV on Friday, veteran journalist and former Managing Director of The Guardian, Martins Oloja, cautioned Nigerians against misrepresenting remarks credited to former U.S. President Donald Trump regarding alleged plans to “invade Nigeria.”
Oloja said the comments have been blown out of proportion and taken out of context.
According to him, “People are exaggerating what the US President Trump has promised to do. He only promised to help us deal with terrorists who have been dealing with Christians. He didn’t say he is going to invade Nigeria for anything.”
The renowned columnist noted that the issue of religiously motivated violence in Nigeria predates the current administration, tracing it back to the emergence of Boko Haram in 2009.
“This problem began long before President Tinubu, in 2009 when Boko Haram [emerged], and since then, so many things have happened that people are now denying,” Oloja said.
He raised pointed questions about the pattern of attacks against Christians, citing several unresolved cases that continue to haunt the nation’s conscience. “Are we denying that there is no genocide on Christians? Where is Leah Shuaibu since 2018? She was singled out because she refused to deny her faith. Her father is still in the Police Force, a Christian from Adamawa State. President Buhari promised that she will be released. Nobody knows her whereabouts,” he lamented.
Oloja further referenced the killing of Deborah Samuel, a student of the Sokoto College of Education who was lynched over alleged blasphemy in 2022, expressing disappointment at the lack of accountability. “What happened to Deborah in Sokoto College of Education? No one is in detention. So many things have happened like that,” he said.
He also drew attention to the widespread displacement in the Middle Belt, particularly in Benue and Plateau States.
“They have targeted two Christian-dominated states – Benue and Plateau. Why do terrorists target Christians in those states? Why are people in IDP camps? Who occupied their ancestral homes?” Oloja queried.
The respected journalist stressed that the core issue is not about any foreign intervention but rather the need for Nigeria to confront its internal crises honestly. He urged political leaders and security agencies to acknowledge the religious dimension of ongoing violence instead of downplaying it for political convenience.
Oloja’s remarks come amid heightened public reactions to reports suggesting that Donald Trump allegedly threatened military action in response to the persecution of Christians in Nigeria—a claim Oloja dismissed as a misinterpretation.