Religious killings in Nigeria are politically motivated – FG

The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, says religious conflicts in Nigeria are politically motivated.

Speaking in Kwara State, on Monday, Mohammed insisted that some religious conflicts had political and ethnic connotations, adding that they should not be seen as purely religious.

“It is also important to note that the underlying principle of religious conflict may not be purely religious, but more often than not coloured with political connotations as vividly depicted in the case of the terrorist group Boko Haram.

“And more often than not, conflicts between Muslims and Christians are fuelled by political motivations, ethnic differences, extremism, intolerance and terrorism.

“Before I end my speech, let me appeal to the media to desist from providing a platform for exponents of incendiary statements, those who will latch on to religion and ethnicity to divide us, and those who have no qualms about leveraging their privileged positions to give Nigeria a bad name in the international community.”

Mohammed’s remark is coming at a time when the Southern part of Kaduna is reeling in crisis, following killings perpetrated by Fulani herdsmen, a situation many Nigerians have tagged religious violence.

Just last week, former President Goodluck Jonathan disclosed how his administration was able to subdue religious killings.

In December 2016, the Catholic Archdiocese of Kafanchan, had disclosed that no fewer than 800 people lost their lives in the crisis that broke out in southern Kaduna area.

In a bid to stop the crisis in the area, the Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai had in December 2016 disclosed that his administration traced some violent and aggrieved Fulani herdsmen to their countries and paid them to stop the killings but the killings still persist.

#FG