How Late Buhari Stood Up to Trump at White House over Alleged Christian Genocide
- Buhari recounted how former US President Donald Trump accused Nigeria of killing Christians during a private White House meeting in 2018
- The ex-president explained that farmer-herder clashes stemmed from environmental and cultural pressures, not religious differences
- Buhari said he used the meeting to correct global misconceptions about violence in Nigeria’s rural areas
Late former Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari revealed details of a tense exchange he had with US President Donald Trump during a White House meeting in 2018, when Trump bluntly accused Nigeria of killing Christians.
According to Buhari, the question came without warning during their private session at the Oval Office.
Source: Getty Images
Buhari said this on Tuesday, January 17, at Nouakchott, Mauritania, when he met with the U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for international religious freedom, Daily Trust reported.
Trump, looking him in the eye, reportedly asked, “Why are you killing Christians in Nigeria?” The inquiry, Buhari said, caught him off guard but he managed to stay calm before offering an explanation.
Buhari explains farmer-herder conflict
The former president said he clarified to Trump that the long-standing clashes between farmers and herders were not religiously motivated. He explained that they stemmed from cultural and environmental pressures, particularly population growth and climate change.
Buhari said he told the US leader that the issue dated back generations and was tied to the movement of cattle in search of water and pasture.
He also drew attention to the destabilisation of Libya following the fall of Muammar Gaddafi, which, he argued, had worsened the flow of arms into West Africa and fueled conflicts.
“We recognise the strong United States support in our fight against terrorism and also appreciated very much the United States agreement to sell 12 Super Tucano A-29 warplanes and weapons to Nigeria to effectively fight terrorism,” Buhari said.
He noted that Nigeria adopted a multi-sectoral approach to address insurgency and rural violence, adding that the military initiated “Operation Safe Corridor” to de-radicalize and reintegrate former Boko Haram members into society.
Source: Twitter
Encounter recalled during Aso rock retreat
Buhari revisited the conversation a year into his second term while speaking at a presidential retreat in Aso Rock. He said he told Trump that the conflict between herders and farmers predated both of them and had nothing to do with religion.
“With climate change and population growth, herders follow the routes to water points regardless of whose farm it is. It’s a cultural problem, not a religious one,” he stated.
He added that earlier Nigerian leaders had created grazing routes to curb such conflicts, but later governments allowed encroachment that worsened tensions.
“The First Republic leaders were the most responsible we ever had,” Buhari said.
“They used limited resources to create earth dams and windmills for grazing areas. Any herder who allowed his cattle to destroy farms was taken before a court and made to pay compensation.”
Buhari said his explanation to Trump helped dispel the notion that violence in Nigeria’s rural communities was religiously motivated.
Foreign ministry reacts to Trump's claim
Legit.ng earlier reported that Nigeria's Foreign ministry commented on the claim that Nigerian Christians were being killed in massive proportions.
According to the government ministry, the claim by the United States President Donald Trump did not reflect the reality on the ground.
US President Donald Trump claimed that there were widespread killings of Christians in Nigeria.
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