Northern women: Nigeria doesn’t need foreign saviour… war language won’t heal our land

A coalition of northern Nigerian women has called for an equal and compassionate response to all victims of violence across Nigeria.

The coalition, Voices for Inclusion and Equity for Women (VIEW), urged the federal government and international communities to move beyond divisive narratives and focus on inclusive peacebuilding.

The coalition said the growing politicisation and religious framing of Nigeria’s insecurity risk deepening divisions rather than healing them.

It warned that labelling insecurity in the country as a war between Muslims and Christians is “false and dangerous”.

“To frame Nigeria’s insecurity as a battle between Muslims and Christians is to erase the lived realities of millions who have suffered violence regardless of faith,” the group said in a statement.

“Such rhetoric will only deepen division and weaken the work of peacebuilders striving to rebuild trust.”

The coalition was reacting to US President Donald Trump’s recent threat of military intervention in Nigeria over the alleged killing of Christians.

Trump’s comments came shortly after redesignating Nigeria as a “country of particular concern (CPC)” for alleged religious freedom violations.

VIEW said Nigeria’s crisis stemmed from multiple factors, including poverty, politics, climate change, and impunity, rather than religion.

It added that Muslim and Christian communities in the north have been victims of attacks by insurgents and armed groups.

“Women and children have carried the heaviest burden of this violence,” the coalition said.

“They have been widowed, displaced, assaulted, and yet expected to hold broken communities together.”

The group insisted that the solution to Nigeria’s insecurity cannot come from threats of war or external intervention.

It called for equal protection for all Nigerians regardless of faith or ethnicity and urged the government to prioritise governance reforms that strengthen accountability and inclusion.

“What Nigeria needs is not a foreign saviour, but responsible diplomacy that supports peace without inflaming tensions,” it said.

“Peace will not come from foreign threats or partisan narratives—it will emerge from inclusive solutions that place justice and equity at the core.

“As northern women, we stand for peace grounded in justice, equality, and respect for all. The language of war has never brought healing to our land—and it never will.”