● Former Mayor Presents Explosive Report in Abuja, Calling for Global Action
In a powerful and emotional press conference held at the Abuja Hilton Hotel today, a visiting U.S. fact-finding team led by former Texas Mayor Mike Arnold publicly declared that a genocide targeting Christians is ongoing in Northern and Middle Belt Nigeria.
Arnold, founder of Africa Arise International and Africa Arise USA, presented a sweeping and deeply documented report at 4 p.m., drawing from years of personal investigation, fieldwork, survivor testimonies, and high-level consultations with Nigerian and international stakeholders. Flanked by retired U.S. Ambassador Lewis Lucke, Pastor Jed D’Grace, and filmmaker Judd Saul, Arnold accused both Nigerian and international actors of enabling, excusing, or ignoring a campaign of systematic violence against Christian populations.
“Based on more than five years of investigation and firsthand documentation,” Arnold declared, “I state without any shadow of a doubt: the campaign of violence and displacement in Northern and Middle Belt Nigeria does indeed constitute a calculated, current, and long-running genocide against Christian communities.”
A Mission to “Declare the Truth”
Arnold stated that his mission to Nigeria, which was arranged at the request of Nigerian National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu and prominent commentator Reno Omokri, came with a singular mandate: “declare the truth.”
Having first visited Nigeria in 2010, Arnold said he has made 15 trips since then, including six investigative missions since 2019. This latest effort, however, culminated in what he called “a formal finding” of genocide under the terms of the 1948 UN Genocide Convention. The report draws on more than 80 hours of filmed interviews and extensive fieldwork conducted in cities and rural areas including Jos, Bokkos, Gwoza, Bukuma, and IDP camps in and around Abuja and Lagos.
“A Deliberate Crisis”
The report chronicles a shift from relative peace and interfaith coexistence in 2010 to what Arnold called “a deliberate crisis” unleashed by political and ideological manipulation following the 2015 general elections. It asserts that foreign interference—including alleged involvement by the U.S.—played a role in destabilising the country, opening the door for radical jihadist groups such as Boko Haram, ISWAP, and Fulani ethnic militias to expand their reach.
While the global narrative often centers on “farmer-herder clashes,” Arnold condemned this terminology as a dangerous euphemism.
“Calling these atrocities ‘clashes’ is like calling Bosnia’s ethnic cleansing a neighborhood dispute,” he said. “This is not chaos. This is conquest—ideological, territorial, and demographic.”
Field Evidence and Eyewitness Accounts
According to Arnold, his team has filmed in remote areas often denied or dismissed by officials, including Ngoshe in Gwoza LGA, Borno State—a former Christian farming town he now describes as a “post-apocalyptic wasteland.” He detailed a consistent pattern across multiple states:
• Churches destroyed, while mosques remain untouched
• Christian homes and villages razed
• Survivors labeled “vagrants” or “criminals” to suppress aid or recognition
• Jihadist resettlement on captured lands
The team also operates schools in two Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps—serving over 550 students from both Christian and Muslim backgrounds—and is constructing a third.
“We have met orphans whose parents were hacked to death,” Arnold stated. “We have seen the mass graves. We have heard the stories of abduction, forced conversion, and execution.”
A growing body of survivor testimonies, satellite imagery, and independent reporting points overwhelmingly to radical Fulani militias as the leading perpetrators of mass atrocities—often outpacing even Boko Haram and ISWAP in scale and lethality.
Three Forces Driving the Crisis
The report identifies three central forces behind the sustained violence:
• Radical Islamic Conquest – Aided by fighters from Libya and the Sahel, with ideological and political cover.
• Illicit Mineral Extraction – An estimated $9 billion in annual losses to illegal mining, with attacks often followed by rapid exploitation of displaced communities’ land.
• Political Realignment – Forced displacement as a tool to alter electoral boundaries and demographic compositions.
These elements, the report argues, converge to form a genocidal strategy masked by state and media euphemisms.
International Complicity and the Call for Truth
Arnold did not spare Western powers in his remarks. He accused international actors of ignoring or enabling the violence through silence, misinformation, or geopolitical maneuvering. He also alleged intentional misreporting by some media and the sanitisation of crimes by public officials.
“To deny what is happening is not confusion—it is complicity,” Arnold said. “There can be no solution while leaders play word games to bury the truth.”
Legal Grounds for Genocide
Quoting directly from Article II of the UN Genocide Convention, Arnold argued that the widespread killings, displacement, destruction of religious institutions, and denial of aid clearly meet the legal definition of genocide against a religious group.
A Plea for Unity and Action
Despite the grim findings, Arnold ended his presentation on a note of cautious hope.
“I believe Nigeria has a bright future. I believe in Christian-Muslim harmony. I believe good people of every tribe and faith must stand against this evil. But first, we must name it.”
“Here I stand. I can do no other. So help me God.”
Reactions Awaited
The report is already being distributed to senior U.S. lawmakers, the White House, the U.S. State Department, human rights organsations, and international media. According to Arnold, several key U.S. figures—including Senator Ted Cruz and Congressman Chip Roy—have been briefed and are following the developments closely.
A documentary based on the team’s investigations, titled “Me & Ms. Hanatu”, is slated for release in the coming months.
As Nigeria grapples with decades of religious and ethnic violence, Arnold’s findings may reignite international debate about the country’s crisis—and force global actors to reckon with the question: Is genocide happening in Nigeria?
Editor’s Note: This article covers serious allegations and is based on a formal public presentation by an independent fact-finding delegation. Government officials and affected communities are invited to respond or provide additional context.
Below are the details of Arnold’s press conference:
Abuja press conference report presentation …
Formal Statement on Widespread Violence and Displacement in Nigeria
By Mayor Mike Arnold, MBA
Founder, Africa Arise International / Africa Arise USA
Presented at Abuja Hilton, 4 p.m. WAT on Tuesday, October 14, 2025
Contributors:
US Amb. Lewis Lucke (retired)
Pastor Jed D’Grace
Mr. Judd Saul
I. Purpose and Credentials
My name is Mike Arnold. I recently served as the elected Mayor of the City of Blanco, Texas. I first visited Nigeria in 2010 as a board member of Unity for Africa. Since then, I have made 15 trips to Nigeria, including six extended investigative missions since 2019. I founded Africa Arise International and Africa Arise USA in 2019. I have frequently been quoted in top newspapers and TV news broadcasts here. I have never extracted anything from Nigeria beyond modest gifts. My closest and most trusted friends are native Nigerians. I come only to give, serve, and stand with the people and nation I dearly love as my second home.
I was personally invited here today by National Security Advisor Nuhu Ribadu and influencer Reno Omokri. The sole stated (written) charge given to me for this trip is simply to meet certain key people, and then declare the truth. I know what’s at stake and take this very seriously. While my plane ticket and accommodations have been paid for, I have not asked for, been offered, nor received any compensation or promise of compensation for this. Neither am I connected in any way or compensated by the US Government. I am here independently and this statement is made without coercion or inducement of any kind.
I also note that numerous top US officials have been briefed and are personally aware of my being here, the purpose of my trip, my specific itinerary, and expected return date. At their request, I am providing updates as to my status. These include but are not limited to my Senator from Texas, Ted Cruz, and Congressman Chip Roy, the White House, US State Department and Acting Ambassador, as well as a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist from the New York Times, and their International Editor.
Also note that as I present this statement, it is being simultaneously distributed not only to these people, who are awaiting it, and also posted online for all to access.
This statement is my formal account and analysis of facts, findings, and firsthand documentation of claims of widespread violence, displacement, and atrocity crimes in Nigeria, primarily directed against Christian populations in the North and Middle Belt, and whether this rises to the level of genocide. It is addressed to journalists, international observers, human rights bodies, and policymakers in the United States and abroad.
We have traveled to cities, villages, and remote encampments: from Bokkos, Jos, and Gwoza to Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt, Bukuma and Makoko. I have interviewed governors, cabinet ministers, traditional rulers, two former Presidents, and others. I have met orphans whose parents were hacked to death. I have built schools in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps and documented over 80 hours of filmed testimony and evidence, at great personal risk, soon to be released in our documentary film Me & Ms. Hanatu. My findings carry the weight of direct experience.[1]
II. Nigeria in 2010: A Nation at Peace
In 2010, Nigeria was a beacon of rising prosperity and religious tolerance, often cited as the only country where radical Islam was being pushed back. Attacks were rare and sparked national outrage. Recognized IDPs were effectively zero, with only minimal displacement from localized communal conflicts—a stark contrast to the crisis that followed, marked by a 1,200% surge in IDPs by 2011 due to Boko Haram’s escalation.[2] This prior absence of a displacement crisis is both verifiable and damning.
III. What Changed? A Deliberate Crisis
By 2014, Nigeria’s stability was shattered. Foreign meddling, including U.S. involvement, played a pivotal role in the 2015 election, enabling regime change that emboldened actors who ignored or enabled extremist violence.[3][4] High-placed eyewitness testimony confirms this interference, with firms like Cambridge Analytica further skewing the political landscape.[5]
Radical jihadist elements, fueled by foreign fighters from Libya and the Sahel post-2011 Arab Spring—not invaders, but invited—flooded into Nigeria, amplifying Boko Haram and ISWAP.[6][7] Today, over four million Nigerians are displaced—a very conservative estimate based in part on my work in hidden camps denied by officials who label victims “criminals” or “vagrants,” rendering UN and government figures entirely unreliable.[8] The vast majority are Christians, driven from their homes by deliberate political engineering and radical conquest, while mostly Muslim IDP encampments do exist.
IV. Our Team’s Field Work
Since 2019, our team has conducted relentless frontline research:
Interviewed survivors across multiple states.
Operate schools in two IDP camps for both Christians and Muslims, with a third under construction, with a present total of 550+ students. We provide free, high quality education.
Filmed camps the UN and Nigerian government deny exist.
Recorded numerous IDP testimonials via https://www.youtube.com/@My.Voice.Matters
In late 2024, my team visited and filmed in Ngoshe, Gwoza LGA, Borno State—a once-thriving Christian farming community now a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Recent 2025 attacks confirm ongoing devastation, with surviving Christians confined to militarized zones where leaving risks abduction or execution.[9][10] Our firsthand proof exposes a reality ignored by officials. Many people of Gwoza have been refugees in Cameroon for over a decade, abandoned by Nigeria while those who returned languish in the FCT, their homelands occupied by Boko Haram as the seat of its caliphate for years now.
V. Consistent Pattern of Targeted Destruction
Across regions and years, we’ve documented a chilling pattern:
Churches destroyed.
Mosques left untouched.
Christian homes torched.
Jihadists resettled on captured land.
Authorities deny or excuse the attacks.
While some Muslims resisting extremism are targeted, the overwhelming evidence—thousands of churches razed, obviously selective violence—leads some to claim this is a faith-based genocide against Christians and those rejecting radical Islam.[11][12]
VI. What Drives the Violence?
This is not chaos but a calculated campaign driven by three forces:
Radical Islamic Conquest: Armed groups, bolstered by foreign fighters from Libya/Sahel post-Arab Spring, seek to impose extremist ideology with local enablers and political protection, described by eyewitnesses as “jihad by occupation.”[6][7]
Blood Mineral Extraction: Nigeria loses $9 billion annually to illicit mining of gold, tin, and lithium, with a significant portion—estimated at 10%—funding violence and corruption. Heavy machinery and foreign buyers appear days after displacements, exploiting lands of the displaced.[13][14]
Political Realignment: War masquerades as politics—local government areas overrun, electoral districts redrawn by force, militants resettled to skew demographics, dismantling communities deemed inconvenient.
VII. The Euphemism of “Farmer-Herder Clashes”
The term “farmer-herder clashes” is cynical doublespeak, weaponizing historical land disputes to mask jihadist conquest. For centuries, herders and farmers coexisted with rare, non-lethal disputes. Now, villages are erased, churches leveled, and tens of thousands are dead. This is systematic terror, not grazing conflicts—a lie akin to calling Bosnia’s ethnic cleansing a “neighborhood spat.”[8][15] These targeted, deadly attacks are the same whether labeled “herders,” “bandits” or “insurgents.” The puppets may change but the same forces pull the strings. A jihadi by any other name is just as deadly. Mincing words over labels appears to be intentional obfuscation.
While global attention often focuses on Boko Haram and ISWAP, the majority of killings and displacements across Nigeria’s Middle Belt are in fact carried out by the Radical Islamist Fulani Ethnic Militia. Numerous field reports, satellite imagery, and survivor testimonies confirm that these Fulani militant groups—often operating under political protection and mislabeled as “herders”— are responsible for the most widespread, systematic, and sustained attacks on Christian farming communities. Their campaigns extend well beyond traditional grazing disputes, encompassing organized massacres, forced displacement, and the strategic occupation of conquered lands. Today, these Fulani militias represent the single most lethal terrorist threat to Nigeria’s internal stability—surpassing Boko Haram and ISWAP combined in reach, frequency, and civilian death toll.
VIII. The Crime of Obfuscation
I have personally seen ongoing efforts by officials and their loyal media to bury the truth:
Sanitizing massacres as “conflict.”
Labeling displaced survivors “vagrants” and “criminals.”
Refusing to name perpetrators.
This is not confusion—it is complicity. To play semantic games while people die is beyond obscene. There can be no solution while leaders play word games to hide the truth.
IX. Legal Definition of Genocide
Per Article II of the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (1948), genocide includes acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial, or religious group:
(a) Killing members of the group;
(b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm;
(c) Inflicting conditions to bring about physical destruction;
(d) Preventing births within the group;
(e) Forcibly transferring children to another group.
The evidence is undeniable: targeted killings, mass displacement, destruction of homes and churches, denial of aid, and erasure of Christian identity.
X. Conclusion: My Formal Finding
As an objective expert and eyewitness, a longtime lover of and traveler throughout Nigeria with access at the highest levels, based on more than five years of investigation, field interviews, firsthand documentation, and deep consultation with top scholars, statesmen and legal experts, I declare this without any shadow of a doubt:
The campaign of violence and displacement in Northern and Middle Belt Nigeria does indeed constitute a calculated, currentand long-running GENOCIDE against Christian communities and other religious minorities, without any reasonable doubt.
To continue to deny this is to be complicit in these atrocities.
I say this not in anger, but in truth and grief. My stated assignment from my host was to speak the truth and I have done that to the best of my ability.
I believe Nigeria has a bright future. I believe in Christian-Muslim harmony. I believe good people of every tribe and faith must stand against this evil. But first, we must name it.
Here I stand. I can do no other. So help me God.
