Falana: US has never rescued any nation | Trump has contempt for Africans

Femi Falana, human rights lawyer and senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN), says the United States has never come to the aid of any country during violent conflicts.

Falana spoke on Wednesday during an interview on ‘Politics Today’, a programme on Channels Television.

He was responding to recent comments by US President Donald Trump, who claimed that Christians were being persecuted in Nigeria.

Trump had earlier ordered the Pentagon to “prepare for action” over alleged killing of Christians in Nigeria.

He also warned that if the Nigerian government fails to stop the violence, the US will launch strikes that would be “fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs who attack our cherished Christians”.

Falana dismissed Trump’s threat, describing it as another example of America’s failed record of foreign intervention.

“The United States of America has never been a saviour of a country in the time of violence. Talking of Iraq, they went for weapon of mass destruction,” he said.

“Syria, Libya, Afghanistan, wherever, the United States has ever gone to in any of those countries.

“America today has about 12 billion bullets. Some of them are being used locally to kill its own citizens by gunmen.”

Falana said it is regrettable that Nigeria has descended to a point where such threats could be issued by foreign powers.

“The most painful part of it is that Nigeria has almost reduced to a point when America is planning to attack it, where China has come up to say thou shall not do it and the European Union has come up to say there’s no evidence of Christian genocide to warrant intervention in the case of Nigeria,” he said.

He warned that any external attack on Nigeria would not end swiftly, as the country’s security challenges are widespread and complex.

“If a war breaks out as Trump is planning, it’s not like going to Iraq. You have these criminals scattered all over the country. So it’s not strike and going back like Iraq,” he said.

Falana accused the US of pursuing ulterior motives, including efforts to expand its military presence in Africa.

“America wanted to get a military base in Iraq but couldn’t get it. It wanted to make Nigeria a dumping ground for deportees. So, this country, we must find a way of moving forward,” he added.

He urged the federal government to strengthen domestic security systems rather than depend on foreign powers for solutions.

‘TRUMP HAS ABSOLUTE CONTEMPT FOR AFRICANS’

Falana also accused Trump of showing “absolute contempt” for Africans, saying his recent comments about alleged Christian massacre in Nigeria reflect his history of disdain towards the continent.

“I wasn’t surprised. This is a guy who has absolute contempt for Africans,” Falana said.

“That is the reason why he took on South Africa before Nigeria. Nigeria and South Africa are the two leading countries in Africa, so for him, we are either a shithole country or a disgraceful country.”

Falana dismissed Trump’s claim that over 3,000 Christians had been killed in Nigeria, describing it as a falsehood aimed at misleading the world.

“I am going to talk from the human rights angle, and my position is that Mr. Trump has lied to the whole world by alleging Christian genocide in Nigeria without any evidence to back it up,” he said.

“He said about 3,100 Christians have been killed in Nigeria. Nobody can support even the killing of a single citizen of this country, but when you look at the narrative of Mr. Trump and match it up with what we have on ground, you will find that the killers — whether terrorists, bandits, kidnappers, or gunmen — do not care about your religion. Many of them care about the ransom you are going to pay. So, it is not about religion.”

The senior lawyer said the ongoing violence in parts of the country, especially in Benue and Plateau states, is driven by struggles for land and resources rather than religious differences.

“If you look at the Middle Belt, particularly Benue and Plateau where these campaigns have gone on for quite some time, those that were killing there were either killing to extort land or killing to feed their animals through open grazing,” he said.

Falana said framing Nigeria’s insecurity as a religious war is misleading and counterproductive.

He also called on Nigerians and the international community to focus on the structural causes of violence instead of amplifying divisive narratives.

“Instead of losing sleep over what Trump has said, can we take it as a duty to look inward and ask ourselves where we have made mistakes?” he asked.