PRESIDENT Bola Ahmed Tinubu has reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to religious liberty, describing recent claims that the country is intolerant or hostile to Christians as inaccurate and inconsistent with the nation’s realities.
In a statement issued on Saturday, Tinubu said Nigeria stood firmly as a democracy governed by constitutional guarantees of religious liberty and continued to maintain open engagement with both Christian and Muslim leaders across the country.
He stressed that the portrayal of Nigeria as religiously intolerant “does not reflect our national reality,” adding that the government’s efforts to safeguard freedom of belief for all Nigerians remained consistent and sincere.
“Religious freedom and tolerance have been a core tenet of our collective identity and shall always remain so. Nigeria opposes religious persecution and does not encourage it,” Tinubu stated.
The president reaffirmed that Nigeria’s Constitution protects citizens of all faiths and that his administration was working closely with the United States government and the international community “to deepen understanding and cooperation on protection of communities of all faiths.”
Tinubu’s remarks followed earlier statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which rejected comments by former U.S. President Donald Trump alleging widespread killings of Christians and announcing Nigeria’s designation as a “Country of Particular Concern.”
“These claims do not reflect the situation on the ground. Nigerians of all faiths have long lived, worked, and worshipped together peacefully,” said the ministry.
The government said while it appreciated global concern for human rights and religious freedom, the allegations were inaccurate and misrepresented the country’s realities.
Trump, in a Truth Social post shared on the White House X handle on Friday night, announced that he had designated Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern,” citing what he called an existential threat to Christianity.
“Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter. I am hereby making Nigeria a ‘Country of Particular Concern’ — but that is the least of it,” Trump wrote.
Citing figures he described as alarming, Trump added, “When Christians, or any such group, are slaughtered like is happening in Nigeria (3,100 versus 4,476 worldwide), something must be done.
“I am asking Congressman Riley Moore, together with Chairman Tom Cole and the House Appropriations Committee, to immediately look into this matter and report back to me. The United States cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening in Nigeria and numerous other countries,” he stated.
In its response, the Nigerian government said under Tinubu’s leadership, the country remained committed to fighting terrorism, strengthening interfaith harmony, and protecting the lives and rights of all its people.
The statement added that Nigeria would continue to engage constructively with the Government of the United States to deepen mutual understanding of regional dynamics and the country’s ongoing peace and security efforts.
Last month, US lawmaker Riley Moore had urged Secretary of State Marco Rubio to take diplomatic action over what he described as the “systematic persecution and slaughter of Christians” in Nigeria, calling it “the deadliest place in the world to be a Christian.” He also advocated suspending arms sales to Nigeria until measurable progress was made in curbing violence.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, had dismissed claims that terrorists in Nigeria deliberately target Christians while speaking earlier in the week on CNN.
“Some of the claims made by certain officials of the United States are based on faulty data and assumptions that the victims of this violence are largely Christians,” Idris said, adding that “Yes, there are Christians being attacked, but these criminals do not just target one religion. They target Christians, and they also target Muslims. We have seen that especially in the northern part of the country.”
Nurudeen Akewushola is an investigative reporter and fact-checker with The ICIR. He believes courageous in-depth investigative reporting is the key to social justice, accountability and good governance in society. You can reach him via nyahaya@icirnigeria.org and @NurudeenAkewus1 on Twitter.