Both Christians and Muslims have been killed or kidnapped in the last days, as have security personnel, as the long-anticipated verdict of Nnamdi Kano on six counts of treason was announced on Nov. 20. While the conviction is separate, and predates the recent “Christian killings” claims by Trump and his Christian Nationalist “amen chorus” of Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the verdict adds to the polarization of the population, and turns the focus inward, at a critical time for the nation and the entire region.
Beginning on Nov. 17, the nation has been jolted by several “extreme events”: the kidnapping of 24 girls from a school in northwestern (Muslim) Kebbi State, an event in which—in addition to an untold number of school staff—the governor has now charged “collusion” between government and security forces; an attack on a contingent of soldiers in northeastern Borno State (bordering on Lake Chad) in which a Brigadier General, a soldier, and two “security personnel” were killed; an attempt to kidnap an unknown VIP from Guto Village, an upscale suburb of Abuja, with a soldier and two assailants being killed in a shootout. Even for Nigeria, this is an unusual level of violence.
