Stop Ongoing K!llings Of Nigerians Or Risk V!olent Br£akup,’ Former US Envoy Warns Tinubu Govt
‘Stop Ongoing Killings Of Nigerians Or Risk Violent Breakup,’ Former US Envoy Warns Tinubu Govt
Brownback issued the warning in a recent speech captured in a viral video, where he described the situation in Nigeria as reaching a “breaking point,” particularly for Christian communities.
Former United States Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, Sam Brownback, has warned that Nigeria may face a violent breakup if the government fails to urgently halt the ongoing killings across the country.
Brownback issued the warning in a recent speech captured in a viral video, where he described the situation in Nigeria as reaching a “breaking point,” particularly for Christian communities.
According to him, Nigeria has become “deadly, if not the most deadly place on the planet to be a Christian,” stressing that the current trajectory is unsustainable and could trigger catastrophic consequences.
“Breaking point, stop the killings now or face a split of the country,” Brownback said.
He added, “That’s not going to be able to sustain itself and continue without leading to a violent split up of the country. And I say those words cautiously, and I don’t like saying those words, but I believe it to be the truth.”
The former US envoy warned that continued inaction by Nigerian authorities could plunge the country into broader violence, affecting not only Christians but also moderate Muslim communities.
“If the Nigerian government now does not get on top of this situation of what’s taking place in Nigeria, and has been now for a number of years, if they don’t get on top of it and start protecting their people, particularly the Christian community and the moderate Muslim communities that are being attacked, if they don’t stop this, this is going to lead to broader bloodshed throughout Nigeria and probably a splitting up of the country. And it’s that dramatic,” he said.
Brownback’s comments come amid growing international concern over insecurity in Nigeria, including persistent attacks by armed groups, bandits, and insurgents in several parts of the country.
SaharaReporters earlier reported that at least 624 Nigerians were killed and 419 others abducted within 28 days in February 2026 under the current administration of Bola Tinubu.
This story was sourced from a new security tracker report compiled by the Research and Data Department of HumAngle.
The report painted a grim picture of the worsening security situation across the country.
It revealed that terror-related attacks and organised armed violence accounted for more than half of all recorded incidents during the month.
The tracker, compiled by Abdussamad Ahmad Yusuf and Abdullahi Abubakar, documented 136 incidents of insecurity nationwide during the month, representing only a slight 3.5 percent decrease from the incidents recorded in January.
Despite the slight decline in the number of incidents, fatalities surged sharply, rising from 481 deaths in January to 624 in February, an increase of nearly 30 percent.
According to the report, Nigeria’s North-West region recorded the highest number of insecurity incidents, highlighting the continued spread of armed banditry and terror attacks across the region.
The tracker shows that the North-West experienced 44 incidents, followed by the North-Central region with 40 incidents, while the insurgency-ravaged North-East recorded 24 incidents.
Across the southern part of the country, 28 incidents were documented, including 11 each in the South-South and South-West, and six in the South-East.
At the state level, Zamfara recorded the highest number of incidents with 19, followed by Benue with 15, Borno with 12, Plateau with nine, and Kebbi with eight incidents.
Kwara Records Highest Death Toll
The report revealed that Kwara State recorded the highest number of fatalities nationwide, accounting for 174 deaths, largely linked to a mass-casualty terror attack early in the month.
Zamfara followed with 149 fatalities, while Borno and Kebbi recorded 48 deaths each. Benue State documented 38 fatalities during the period.
Regionally, the North-Central recorded the highest death toll with 278 fatalities, while the North-West followed with 217 deaths.
The North-East recorded 112 fatalities, while southern regions saw relatively lower numbers: South-West recorded nine deaths, South-East five, and South-South three.
Interestingly, Kano and Jigawa states did not record any fatalities linked to insecurity during the period, according to the report.
Kidnapping also surged during the month, with 419 people abducted across 33 separate incidents in 13 states.
States affected by the abductions include Niger, Kwara, Edo, Akwa Ibom, Katsina, Sokoto, Kaduna, Zamfara, Benue, Ebonyi, Plateau, Kano and Ondo.
The report shows that Zamfara alone accounted for 11 kidnapping incidents, the highest recorded in any state during the period.
Other states recorded the following incidents: Sokoto (4), Kaduna (3), Benue (3), Niger (2), Kwara (2), Edo (2), while Akwa Ibom, Katsina, Ebonyi, Plateau, Kano and Ondo recorded one incident each.
The tracker further revealed that attacks targeting civilians were the most common form of violence, accounting for 86 incidents and resulting in 512 deaths.
These incidents included armed attacks on communities, forced disappearances, abductions, and other forms of violence directed at non-combatants.
Other forms of violent incidents documented during the month included five battle-related clashes between armed groups, which resulted in five deaths. The report also recorded three incidents of explosions or remote violence, including landmine and other explosive attacks, that left 11 people dead.
