Elder statesman and founding member of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Alhaji Abubakar Tanko Yakasai, has dismissed claims of a Christian genocide in Nigeria, insisting that Christians and Muslims have coexisted peacefully for generations.
Speaking in an interview with Vanguard, the veteran politician accused foreign media of inflaming religious tensions and criticised U.S. President Donald Trump for comments suggesting targeted killings of Christians in the country.
Yakasai, a prominent figure in Nigeria’s radical political movement of the 1950s and 1960s and a former commissioner in Kano and special assistant on National Assembly liaison to President Shehu Shagari, said narratives of religious persecution were being exaggerated for political gain.
According to him, “I don’t agree there is Christian genocide. Some Christians close to the United States of America took advantage of their closeness to Donald Trump.
“Christians and Muslims have been living in peace with one another; we are brothers and sisters. Few individuals went to America to talk to Trump. Christians and Muslims are not living in separation.
“The majority of the people in the West, East and South are Christians, but in the North and the Middle Belt, there are a substantial number of Muslims. My parents were from the Middle Belt. For ages, long before the British came, we lived together in peace.
“Those who converted to Christianity were what we called pagans. The Muslims did not convert to Christianity, and that is why Christianity is much stronger in the Middle Belt region. Interestingly, my parents were from the Middle Belt.
“In every home, we have Christians and Muslims living together in peace.”
He argued that Trump’s claims were influenced by a few individuals with ties to the U.S., describing him as “an opportunist” seeking relevance. Yakasai stressed that religious diversity long predates colonial rule, particularly in the Middle Belt, where mixed-faith families remain common.
On insecurity in the country, the elder statesman said the problem is national but more pronounced in the North. He advocated for the establishment of zonal police commands, noting that previous proposals for regional policing should be revisited due to the overstretched capacity of the Nigeria Police Force.
However, he rejected the idea of state police, warning that it could be easily manipulated by politicians.
His words, “There was a move at one time that there should be the establishment of a zonal police. This problem is not limited to one side of the country; it is a national problem. There was a move at one time that there should be six police establishments. I think the issue should be revisited because it is a good idea because the number of the police force is not enough to cover the whole country. There will be a zonal setup, and people will know their area and locality. They will be in a better position to handle the problems more effectively.
“State police”, he said, “are subject to manipulation by individuals and political interests. At one time, there was a move for a zonal police. If anybody was in favour of a zonal police, I would support it.”
Addressing perceptions of a rift between the North and South, Yakasai said no such suspicion exists. He added that President Bola Tinubu is likely to seek and possibly win a second term in 2027, given the political and financial structures at his disposal.
He said, “Personally, I believe that in Nigeria’s politics today, as has been the practice, President Tinubu will seek a second term and is most likely to win because he has the resources to back his ambition. We are practising democracy, and as such, democratic norms and conventions, as well as our constitution, should be our guiding principle. 2027 is still about two years away.”
Reflecting on Nigeria’s challenges, Yakasai said every nation faces its own problems and that no single group or individual can be solely blamed.
“Any country has its problems. You cannot single out an individual or a group of people to make peace. The creation of God, built in America, Russia, and China – all of them have problems. Wherever you have people, human beings, you have problems. And it is the human beings who will seek the help of God to overcome their problems,” he added.
“We want to appreciate President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for this wonderful opportunity that he has given you extra five years. We are very, very grateful. This renewal is a clear national endorsement of your monumental contributions to national security, public health, women and youth protection. We are confident that your continued leadership will further fortify the nation’s fight against drug trafficking and promote sustainable peace and stability”, she noted.
She described Marwa’s leadership at NDLEA as transformative and inspiring. “Over the years, you have demonstrated what strong ethical and visionary public service truly means. Under your leadership, the Agency has recorded unprecedented achievements from dismantling sophisticated drug trafficking networks to intercepting record level quantities of illicit substances, improving intelligence driven operations, expanding community based preventive education and strengthening rehabilitation pathways for victims of substance abuse. We are very grateful for that. These achievements are not just institutional milestones, they represent hope for millions of families, especially women and children, who often suffer the silent painful consequences of drug related crime, domestic challenges and societal instability”, she stated.
While seeking further partnership with NDLEA in the fight against the drug scourge, Princess Azura said “at NCWS, we have also been actively mobilising women, mothers, teachers and community groups to participate in the fight against substance abuse. Our ongoing school outreach programmes, advocacy forums and community sensitisation campaigns across the states have proven that when women are fully engaged, prevention becomes more effective.”
She said the NCWS is eager to explore strategic areas of cooperation with NDLEA, including training of the Council’s national officers and state leaders as community anti-drug ambassadors; joint advocacy campaigns targeting mothers and caregivers; rehabilitation and reintegration especially for women and youths affected by substance abuse, among others.
In his response, Marwa expressed appreciation to the NCWS leaders for the visit and their kind remarks about him and President Tinubu. He said as the umbrella body for all women societies across the country, it is imperative for NDLEA to partner with the NCWS. He said the Agency considers the drug menace as Nigeria’s number one problem today because it affects everyone and every community directly or indirectly, adding that with a population of about 15million drug users, there’s the need for a whole of society response.
“So, this is a big challenge and government cannot handle it alone, we have to have the whole of society to work with us. So NCWS, we don’t have any bigger partners than you because you are the mothers handling families all over the country, and it is very, very critical that you stand up. You have to stand up and be part of this struggle to redeem the souls of our young boys and girls, including the women who are afflicted”, he stated.
The NDLEA boss assured the women leaders that the NDLEA will not only partner with them but will equally organise Drug Use Prevention, Treatment and Care (DPTC) training to equip them for the task ahead in 2026. “We will hold a DPTC training for you, we usually to do that for governors’ spouses and I think we will tailor it to exactly what you will need, so that you can also take it down to the states, and down to the grassroots.”
He urged them to also buy in and take ownership of the current push for drug integrity test for intending couples as part of efforts to discourage substance abuse and encourage early detection and treatment, especially among the youth. 
Following credible intelligence about the activities of the syndicate which operates and distributes through a WhatsApp platform, NDLEA operatives on Saturday 22nd November 2025 raided their apartment at Ojulari street, Ikate area of Lekki where a large quantity of the designer sachets and 5kilograms of Loud were recovered from them at the point of their arrest.
In another operation in Lagos, NDLEA operatives on Thursday 27th November arrested a 38-year-old drug kingpin Philip Ucheka while taking delivery of 110 pouches of Canadian Loud weighing 55.6kg at Ladipo area of Mushin. At the point of his arrest, three delivery vehicles
were also seized from him.
At a courier company in Lagos, 100grams of Loud concealed in teddy bear imported from Thailand were intercepted on Thursday 27th November while a consignment of 548 capsules of tramadol hidden in bottles of Vitamin C and Magnesium going to the United Kingdom were recovered at another logistics firm the following day, Friday 28th November.
In Oyo state, NDLEA officers on patrol along Lagos -Ibadan expressway on Saturday 29th November nabbed a suspect Wasiu Kareem, 55, with 8,000 ampoules of pentazocine injection; 590 bottles of codeine syrup; 1,500 pills of Co-codamol and 9,900 capsules of tramadol.
No fewer than seven suspects were arrested on Monday 24th November when NDLEA operatives raided the Ipe forest in Akoko South East area of Ondo State where they recovered 3,077 kilograms of skunk, a strain of cannabis. Those arrested include: John Ede; Ede Ndubuisi; Ikenna Abe; Eze Chukwuma; Maduabuchi Odo; Nnaji Chudubem and Gorge Okowor.
While Anthony Sylvester, 49, was arrested along Okene/Lokoja highway Kogi state conveying 649kg skunk in a truck on Wednesday 26th November, NDLEA officers at the Seme Special Area Command on Friday 28th November raided a warehouse at Ashipa, Seme border area of Badagry, Lagos where they arrested a suspect Abubakar Shuaibu, 33, with 487 blocks of skunk weighing 243.5kg.
In Kano, Tsalha Alasan, 47, was arrested along Zaria-Kano road with 137kg skunk on Monday 24th November, while three suspects: Godspower Appeal, 50; Ernest Upong, 55; and Godday Chukwudi, 38, were nabbed on Wednesday 26th November with 322 blocks of skunk weighing 209kilograms at Fanshanu village, Toro LGA, Bauchi state. A black Toyota Highlander jeep marked ABJ 533 EA used in conveying the consignment was also recovered from them.
A suspect John Ekojo, 51, was arrested with 210.15kg skunk along Abuja/Jos highway on Saturday 29th November, while a couple: Abdullahi Abubakar, 45, and Jamila Abdullahi, 35, were nabbed along Abuja/Kaduna highway with 725 rounds of 7.62 mm live ammunition
concealed in a sack of maize just as another suspect Awwal Sabiu, 20, was caught with
400 rounds of 7.62mm live ammunition at Abuja/Kaduna tollgate on Friday 28th November.
With the same vigour, Commands and formations of the Agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization activities to schools, worship centres, work places and communities among others in the past week. These include: WADA sensitization lecture to students and staff of Government Junior Technical School, Kofar Kudu, Kano; Bright Eyes International School, Abakaliki, Ebonyi; dock workers and clearing agents at the Tincan Port, Lagos; Legacy International College, Nsukka, Enugu; and Seatos School, Ikorodu, Lagos, among others.
While commending the officers and men of DOGI, Lagos, Ondo, Oyo, Kogi, Kaduna, Kano, Seme and Bauchi Commands for the various successful operations, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd) enjoined them and their colleagues across the country to continue with the ongoing balanced approach to the drug control efforts of the Agency. 
