The senior pastor of Daystar Christian Centre, Sam Adeyemi, says it is insensitive to focus on the wording used to describe Christian killings in Nigeria.
He also cautioned that any military intervention by the United States would escalate, rather than solve, the nation’s security issues.
Reacting to the recent designation of Nigeria as “a country of particular concern” by U.S. President Donald Trump — along with the threat of potential military action — Adeyemi said such involvement could lead to a “messy” outcome.
During a news conference marking the church’s 30th anniversary, he stressed that Nigeria needs sincere dialogue on its development path and security challenges.
“It is open knowledge that some of the people that support the killing of Christians are powerful,” Adeyemi said.
“Some of them are at the highest levels of government. And some of them are wealthy. So, it is not something America will throw bombs on the ground, and it will disappear.”
He added that arguments over whether the situation qualifies as genocide miss the core humanitarian issue.
“It is on the internet. The pictures are there. The numbers are there. We should not argue over what should or should not be called a genocide,” Adeyemi said.
He questioned whether Nigerians truly value human life, arguing that the U.S. interest partly stems from victims who reported the killings abroad.
“The fact is that people are being killed everyday in our country for reasons for which they should not die. So, we cannot contest the fact that so many people who are being killed are Christians,” he said.
Adeyemi urged government officials and the elite to move beyond personal success toward leaving a meaningful legacy, insisting that Nigeria must be restructured to ensure equal opportunities for all citizens.
He called on Nigerians to speak up and hold leaders accountable, warning that silence will only embolden those acting against the nation’s well-being.