The Guild of Interfaith Media Practitioners Nigeria (GIMP-Nigeria) has offered advice to the government on the best way to end the lingering insecurity in the country.
In a message to mark the 2025 Christmas which is due on Thursday, December 25, the group stressed that insecurity caused by Boko Haram insurgence, Banditry and other criminal activities can be defeated only with deliberate and sustained interfaith collaboration amongst all the stakeholders.
The Guild, which condemned the continued killings, kidnappings, banditry, terrorism, communal clashes and manipulation of religious identities, described the negative security indices as grave threats to national unity, economic stability and social trust.
GIMP-Nigeria regretted that places of worship, highways, farms and communities have since become unsafe, leaving citizens traumatised and deeply divided.
The group noted that military responses alone have proven insufficient due to the fact that the insecurity is being fueled not only by weapons but through attitudinal mistrust, misinformation, exclusion and the abuse of religion.
In the message signed by the Chairman of GIMP-Nigeria, Abdulkarim Abdulmalik, the group said: “Nigeria’s insecurity is not only a security failure; it is a trust failure.”
The statement said: “interfaith collaboration is not symbolic. It is a frontline security strategy that government can no longer afford to ignore”.
GIMP-Nigeria stressed that structured interfaith synergy between the leadership of Muslims and Christians, media professionals and government institutions can significantly reduce violence by countering extremist narratives, promote early-warning intelligence at the grassroots, mediate communal tensions and discourage hate speech.
The Guild called on the Federal, State and Local Governments to institutionalise engagement with credible interfaith bodies, support interfaith peacebuilding and counter-narrative initiatives and integrate faith-sensitive approaches into national security planning.
“A government that sidelines faith actors in a deeply diverse religious society like Nigeria weakens its own security architecture,” the Guild warned.
GIMP-Nigeria called on media practitioners to act responsibly by avoiding sensationalism, religious profiling and conflict-driven reporting, especially during religious seasons like this Christmas period.
The Guild asked media practitioners to count themselves as forces for de-escalation and engage in accurate reporting to evolve national cohesion.
The group challenged faith leaders to speak with one voice against violence, join hands with government to discipline inflammatory preaching even as it affirmed that no religion justifies the killing of innocent people.
The interfaith media group expressed hope and confidence that as Nigeria and the world set to mark the season that is associated with peace, compassion and goodwill, and to witness another New Year, peace would be achieved only if the leadership is courageous and inclusive.
“Nigeria’s diversity is not a curse but a strength. The New Year must mark a shift from symbolic interfaith meetings to practical, result-driven partnership with government for a safer and and more united nation.”
