Downplaying Genoc!de As Farmer-Herder Clashes Is Nonsense” — Dele Farotimi Lambasts Tinubu Government
“Downplaying Genocide As Farmer-Herder Clashes Is Nonsense” — Dele Farotimi Lambasts Tinubu Government
Speaking on Channels Television’s Hard Copy on Friday, Farotimi criticised the authorities for what he described as a deliberate attempt to whitewash atrocities that have drawn renewed global attention, including strong remarks from U.S. President Donald Trump.
Human rights lawyer and activist, Dele Farotimi, has slammed the President Bola Tinubu-led Nigerian government over its persistent downplaying of the mass killings ravaging parts of the country, insisting that what is happening is genocide, not the so-called “farmer-herder clashes.”
Speaking on Channels Television’s Hard Copy on Friday, Farotimi criticised the authorities for what he described as a deliberate attempt to whitewash atrocities that have drawn renewed global attention, including strong remarks from U.S. President Donald Trump.
He accused the government of hiding behind misleading narratives to avoid accountability, saying the scale, coordination, and targeted nature of the killings make it clear that Nigeria is facing a campaign of extermination — not random communal violence.
“You are calling genocide farmers-herders clash — what nonsense,” he said. “How can a farmer who owns nothing be clashing with somebody carrying a Kalashnikov and M-16 rifles? And they are calling it a farmers-herders clash. You even find government persons peddling that idiocy.”
He accused authorities of ignoring the reality of widespread killings while concealing the truth under misleading labels.
“Let us deal with the reality that has been painted for us. Some of us have held up mirrors for a while, showing Nigeria the fact of its ugly nudity, but it refused to change,” he stated.
Farotimi said the government’s denial has now been exposed by external voices calling attention to the situation.
His comments come amid renewed debates over insecurity in Nigeria and global criticism of the government’s perceived failure to protect citizens in affected communities.
“Now someone outside is telling them the truth; the truth is not devalued in the tongue of a liar,” he said.
“The question is, has Donald Trump lied about the killings? Maybe you don’t like the fact that he has called it a genocide, which is a very political word to use. But it doesn’t change the fact that unacceptable casualties are being recorded within a country that proclaims itself to be at peace.”
The activist lamented that even as people are being buried in mass graves, official attention remains fixed on semantics rather than accountability.
“People are being buried in mass graves, and we are still quarrelling over what name Donald Trump called it. I don’t need Trump to tell me what I have seen and heard. I have been using the word genocide to describe what is happening in Nigeria for close to 10 years.”
Farotimi accused elements within government of complicity, saying they are aware of the killings but chose silence.
“They don’t need Trump to tell them what is happening in their country; they are complicit in what is happening,” he added.
“These are persons exercising the powers of impunity extended by the Nigerian state and the assurance that nothing will happen, so they can do as they please.”
