Chairman of Northern CAN,.Reverend John Joseph Hayab
Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the 19 Northern states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Reverend John Joseph Hayab, has described the persistent killings of Christians in Northern Nigeria as genocide, insisting that continued denial of the reality constitutes a grave injustice to the victims and their families.
Speaking during an interview on ARISE News Morning show on Wednesday, Reverend Hayab said it was time for Nigerians to confront the truth about religiously motivated violence, which he noted predates the Boko Haram insurgency.
He maintained that the failure to acknowledge the targeted attacks against Christians had made genuine reconciliation and national unity difficult.
“Can I consider what has been happening as genocide against Christians? My straightforward answer is yes – Y-E-S, Yes,” Reverend Hayab declared. “The violence did not start with Boko Haram; it has existed for decades. We have buried too many for anyone to pretend otherwise.”
According to him, repeated attempts to explain the killings as mere farmers-herders clashes were not only misleading but also disrespectful to those who had lost their lives and loved ones because of their faith.
“Anybody who says there is no Christian genocide is not being fair to the Christians of Northern Nigeria,” he said. “Some of us have buried victims in large numbers. We can name the dates and locations. These are not imaginations; they are lived experiences.”
Reverend Hayab recalled that long before the Boko Haram insurgency, several crises specifically targeted Christians, including the 2000 Sharia riots in Kaduna and the 2002 Miss World riots, which left hundreds dead and churches destroyed.
“I personally took part in some of the burials,” he said. “Pastors were killed, churches were burnt, and entire families were displaced simply because of their faith.”
Beyond the killings, the Northern CAN Chairman expressed concern over what he called institutional discrimination against Christians in education and public institutions.
“Our children are denied admission into certain universities, not because they are not qualified, but because they are Christians,” he alleged. “In many public schools, Christian students have no chapels and are forced to worship in classrooms.”
He urged the government and citizens to first acknowledge that something had gone wrong before efforts at reconciliation could be meaningful.
“If we admit that Christians have been killed and indeed we have buried many, then we can begin to heal,” he said. “But as long as we keep denying it, we will continue to deceive ourselves.”
Tracing the roots of religious extremism in Northern Nigeria, Reverend Hayab noted that such intolerance did not begin with Boko Haram. He cited the Maitatsine uprisings of the late 1970s and early 1980s as an early sign of violent ideology that has since evolved into terrorism.
“Back then, the term ‘terrorism’ wasn’t common, but what Maitatsine did was exactly terrorism,” he explained. “Boko Haram only made the ideology more official; that anyone who does not share their belief is an infidel.”
He also blamed some religious teachings in the 1980s for deepening divisions that still influence Nigeria’s politics and social relations today.
“One prominent cleric once said publicly that, according to his faith, a Christian could not lead him, and he also could not be led by a woman,” Hayab recalled. “That kind of thinking has continued to shape how people relate with others of different faiths.”
Reverend Hayab, who also serves as the Country Director of the Global Peace Foundation Nigeria (GPFN), said lasting peace can only be achieved when truth, justice, and mutual respect are prioritized.
“We cannot keep denying reality and expect peace,” he warned. “The first step toward healing this nation is to tell ourselves the truth and ensure justice for all victims.”
