*Rejects designation of Nigeria as ‘Country of Particular Concern’ 

*Claims of Christian killings in Nigeria gross exaggeration, says Onanuga

*Ndume urges Tinubu to enlist Anyaoku, Akinyemi, Kingibe, others in negotiation with US

Deji Elumoye, Michael Olugbode and Sunday Aborisade in Abuja

President Bola Tinubu yesterday declared that the Nigerian government protects citizens of all faiths and will never encourage religious persecution.
Similarly, the Special Adviser to President Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, also dismissed reports suggesting that thousands of Christians are being slaughtered in Nigeria, insisting that such claims were grossly exaggerated.

This is just as a former Senate Leader and senator representing Borno South, Ali Ndume, has urged President Tinubu’s administration to deploy Nigeria’s most experienced diplomats and international statesmen, such as Chief Emeka Anyaoku, Professor Bolaji Akinyemi, Ambassador Babagana Kingibe, Professor Ibrahim Gambari, and Amina Mohammed, to lead the engagement with Washington.

Trump had on Friday designated Nigeria a ‘Country of Particular Concern,’ citing alleged widespread killings of Christians.
Barely 24 hours later, the American leader, last night, threatened military action against Nigeria.
Reacting to the US president’s earlier designation of the country as a ‘Country of Particular Concern’, President Tinubu, in a six-paragraph statement, explained that “Nigeria stands firmly as a democracy governed by constitutional guarantees of religious liberty.

“Since 2023, our administration has maintained an open and active engagement with Christian and Muslim leaders alike and continues to address security challenges that affect citizens across faiths and regions.
“The characterisation of Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our national reality, nor does it take into consideration the consistent and sincere efforts of the government to safeguard freedom of religion and beliefs for all Nigerians.
“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.

“Nigeria is a country with constitutional guarantees to protect citizens of all faiths.
“Our administration is committed to working with the United States government and the international community to deepen understanding and cooperation on the protection of communities of all faiths.”  
In its reaction, the federal government, through the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa, explained that Nigerians of all faiths have long lived, worked, and worshipped together peacefully.
The federal government also stated that the Tinubu administration remains committed to fighting terrorism, strengthening interfaith harmony, and protecting the lives and rights of all Nigerians.

Appreciating the global concern for human rights and religious freedom in Nigeria, the federal government, however, rejected Trump’s tag of a “Country of Particular Concern” on Nigeria, insisting that the claim of genocide against Christians does not reflect the situation on the ground.
The statement reads: “The Federal Government of Nigeria notes the recent remarks by U.S. President Donald J. Trump alleging large-scale killings of Christians in Nigeria and calling for the country’s designation as a ‘Country of Particular Concern.”

“While Nigeria appreciates global concern for human rights and religious freedom, these claims do not reflect the situation on the ground. Nigerians of all faiths have long lived, worked, and worshipped together peacefully.
“Under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Nigeria remains committed to fighting terrorism, strengthening interfaith harmony, and protecting the lives and rights of all its people.

“Nigeria will 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.”
US senator Ted Cruz had proposed a bill seeking to protect “persecuted” Christians in Nigeria.
But President Tinubu said allegations of religious genocide in Nigeria were unfounded, noting that the country is built on the faith and resilience of its people.

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, had also faulted some US lawmakers for relying on what he described as “inaccurate and misleading data” to accuse Nigeria of carrying out a Christian genocide.
On October 14, the Nigerian Senate set up a 12-member ad hoc committee to develop a comprehensive position paper in response to growing international concerns over alleged state-backed persecution of Christians in Nigeria.

Claims of Christian Killings in Nigeria Gross Exaggeration, Says Onanuga

On his part, the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Onanuga, has described reports suggesting that thousands of Christians are being slaughtered in Nigeria as a gross exaggeration.

Onanuga was reacting yesterday to a post by the United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, who alleged that radical Islamists and Fulani militias were responsible for the “ongoing slaughter of thousands of Christians” in Nigeria.

Rubio said on X on Friday, “The ongoing slaughter of thousands of Christians in Nigeria by radical Islamists and Fulani ethnic militias is both tragic and unacceptable. As @POTUS said, the United States stands ready, willing, and able to act.”

Responding to Rubio via his official X handle, Onanuga wrote, “What we do have are sporadic attacks on some villages by bandits and terrorists, and the attacks are religiously insensitive. Christians, Muslims, churches, and mosques are attacked randomly.”

He maintained that insecurity in Nigeria is not driven by religion, stressing that both faith communities have suffered from violent attacks across the country.

“What our country requires from America is military support to fight these violent extremists in some states of our country, not designation as a nation of particular concern,” Onanuga added.

In another reply to Rubio, Onanuga said: “Secretary Rubio, Muslims’ lives matter too.”

 Also reacting, former Kaduna Central lawmaker, Senator Shehu Sani, argued that the American leader was “misinformed by anarchists, lackeys, and apprentices of neocolonialism” seeking to profit from division and discontent.

Sani, in a post shared on his X handle yesterday, described the claim as “falsehood and misinformation,” insisting that the killings and kidnappings in Nigeria were not driven by religion.

Ndume Urges Tinubu to Enlist Anyaoku, Akinyemi, Kingibe, Others in Negotiation with US

Meanwhile, a former Senate Leader and senator representing Borno South, Ndume, has urged the President Tinubu’s administration to urgently open diplomatic talks with Washington

Ndume warned that failure to address the issue swiftly could have grave diplomatic and economic consequences for Nigeria, including sanctions, restrictions on security cooperation, and damage to the nation’s global image.

In a statement he personally signed and released in Abuja yesterday, Ndume accused both the federal government and the Nigerian Senate of failing to act promptly after US Congressman Riley Moore raised the same concern weeks earlier.

Ndume said, “I have alerted the government before now; I even moved a motion in the Senate.

“Nigeria is a sovereign state, but we cannot afford to ignore this kind of misrepresentation. It’s not about what the United States can do to us, but the misconception and the ripple effects of classifying us as a country of concern.”

The senator said the government’s lack of proactive engagement gave room for the U.S. to act unilaterally without hearing Nigeria’s side of the story.

Ndume said, “We should engage the American government by presenting facts and figures. We should demand that they hear from the Nigerian government and from the Muslim community.

“The killings are not targeted at Christians alone; Muslims and other Nigerians have also been victims. The violence is driven by terrorism, not religion.”

He said, “Before things get out of hand, Nigeria should engage seasoned diplomats like Chief Emeka Anyaoku, Professor Bolaji Akinyemi, Babagana Kingibe, Professor Ibrahim Gambari, and Amina Mohammed of the United Nations. They can help us explain the realities on the ground.”

He further advised the government to work closely with the US Embassy in Abuja, noting that American officials based in Nigeria already possess credible intelligence on the complexity of the country’s security situation.

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