Anambra State Governor, Chukwuma Soludo, has cautioned US President Donald Trump against oversimplifying Nigeria’s security crisis, saying the problems facing the country are far more complex than a clash between Christians and Muslims.

During a media chat on Sunday, Soludo dismissed Trump’s threat to “protect Christians in Nigeria,” describing it as a superficial reading that ignores the realities on the ground. He noted that while the US is entitled to express opinions on global issues, any action must respect international law and Nigeria’s sovereignty.

“As a country, America has a right to hold its own views,” Soludo said. “But whatever it does must fall within the boundaries of international law.”

The governor said Nigeria should engage diplomatically with the US to clarify facts and address any misconceptions. He stressed that many of the killings in the south-east have no religious undertones, but are instead driven by internal crises.

“People are killing themselves — Christians killing Christians,” Soludo explained. “The people in the bushes are Emmanuel, Peter, John — all Christian names — and they have maimed and killed thousands of our youths. It has nothing to do with religion.”

He added that if Nigeria ever sought international support, it would be through formal cooperation and requests for military assistance, technology, or equipment — not through external threats.

Soludo criticised any suggestion of foreign invasion, arguing that applying Trump’s logic to the US would be absurd.

“You had policemen killing some blacks… I remember the #BlackLivesMatter protests. Should Africa then threaten to invade America because blacks were being killed? I don’t think so,” he said.

The governor emphasised that constructive national dialogue remains the surest path to resolving Nigeria’s challenges.

“There is a need for deeper conversation,” he said. “The government of Nigeria will respond robustly. Nigeria is a large country, and much is being done to secure it.”

Soludo, who is seeking re-election on Saturday, also rejected attempts to misrepresent the south-east crisis as a religious war.

“In this part of the country, we are 95 percent Christian,” he said. “The people in the bushes killing others bear Christian names. It is far beyond a Christian-Muslim categorisation. Nigeria will overcome, and the solution will come through dialogue.”