Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, the presidential candidate of the Accord Party, has drawn urgent attention to the plight of approximately 3.68 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Nigeria, calling for stronger international intervention to tackle insecurity, religious persecution and ethnic discrimination.
A Call for International Action
Olawepo-Hashim made the appeal during an engagement with the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) on Friday. According to a statement issued by his media office on Sunday, he used the platform to press for the release of a Hausa cultural activist, Maisango, whom he alleged is being detained unlawfully.
Kebbi Attacks Under the Spotlight
The Accord Party candidate also drew the commission’s attention to reported attacks and the burning of 11 villages in Shanga Local Government Area of Kebbi State, urging the international community not to ignore the plight of affected communities. He specifically mentioned Kalkami, Tungar Bori and Kawara communities in Shanga LGA, where suspected bandits reportedly killed residents, burnt buildings and forced inhabitants to flee during attacks in April 2026. Describing the reports of 11 villages being burnt as alarming, he alleged that some armed groups operating in the area were more interested in killing residents, destroying settlements and taking control of territories than in pursuing religious conversion.
Religious Freedom Crisis Beyond the Christian-Muslim Divide
While acknowledging that Christians in Northern Nigeria face persecution, Olawepo-Hashim argued that religious intolerance in the country extends beyond the conventional Christian-Muslim divide. He identified Shia Muslims, minority Islamic sects and some Hausa Muslim communities as groups experiencing persecution, exclusion and discrimination. “Nigeria’s religious freedom crisis goes beyond the conventional Christian-Muslim divide,” he said, noting that ethnic identity and cultural affiliation also influence religious and social acceptance in some communities.
A Humanitarian Crisis Cutting Across Boundaries
Citing figures published by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the Accord Party chieftain put Nigeria’s internally displaced population at approximately 3.68 million as of October 2026. He argued that the humanitarian crisis cuts across religious and ethnic boundaries, adding that displaced Hausa communities deserve greater international attention.
