*FG to issue official response today

Sunday Ehigiator

President Donald Trump yesterday designated Nigeria a ‘Country of Particular Concern,’ citing alleged widespread killings of Christians and rising religious intolerance.
“Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “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.”

This comes despite pushback from the Nigerian government, as only a few days ago, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, faulted some US lawmakers for relying on what he described as “inaccurate and misleading data” to accuse Nigeria of carrying out a Christian genocide.
When contacted yesterday, Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to President Bola Tinubu, said the “Federal Government of Nigeria is studying the situation and by tomorrow (today), we shall respond.”
The ‘Countries of Particular Concern’ is a list of nations the US finds to have engaged in religious freedom violations. The list includes China, Myanmar, North Korea, Russia, Pakistan, among others, according to the State Department website.

The US President emphasised that action must be taken when people are persecuted for their faith.
FOX News quoted Trump to have said he had directed Rep. Riley Moore, R-W. Va., Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., and members of the House Appropriations Committee to investigate the situation and report their findings to him.

“The United States cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening in Nigeria, and numerous other Countries,” Trump said. “We stand ready, willing, and able to save our Great Christian population around the World!”
According to the international watchdog group Open Doors, nearly 70 percent of all Christians killed for their faith worldwide last year were in Nigeria. The group warned that Boko Haram, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), and Fulani militant herders were responsible for most of the bloodshed, often targeting Christian farmers in the country’s Middle Belt. Rights organisations estimate that thousands of believers are murdered every year, while countless others are forced to flee.

Trump’s ambassador-designate for International Religious Freedom, Mark Walker, told Fox News Digital that the United States must do what it can to pressure Nigeria’s government to act.
“Even being conservative, it’s probably 4,000 to 8,000 Christians killed annually,” Walker said. “This has been going on for years — from ISWAP to Islamist Fulani ethnic militias — and the Nigerian government has to be much more proactive.”
The White House also acknowledged a surge in anti-Christian violence across sub-Saharan Africa, where jihadist movements were exploiting political instability and porous borders. Both Pope Leo and the U.S. State Department had condemned recent massacres in Nigeria, warning that the crisis risks spreading beyond the country’s borders.

Walker added, “The United States should always stand up for freedom of religion, and that starts with speaking the truth about what’s happening.”
While humanitarian groups continue to raise alarm, Nigeria’s Information Minister, Idris recently told Fox News Digital that claims of mass persecution are “very misleading,” rejecting U.S. reports that tens of thousands have been killed.
Idris spoke during an interview on CNN earlier this week, saying the claims, which prompted calls for US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to impose diplomatic sanctions on Nigeria, distort the country’s complex security realities.
“Some of the claims made by officials of the United States are based on faulty data and the assumption that victims of violence are largely Christians,” Idris had said.

“Yes, there are Christians being attacked, but these criminals do not target one religion — they attack both Christians and Muslims, especially in the northern part of the country.”
According to Idris, the federal government remains committed to protecting religious freedom and upholding human rights, democracy, and the rule of law. He emphasised that freedom of religion is guaranteed under the Nigerian Constitution and must be respected by all.

The minister warned that spreading false narratives about a religious genocide risks playing into the hands of criminals who seek to incite sectarian conflict. He insisted that Nigeria’s insecurity should not be characterised as a religious war.

“Characterising these attacks as being against Christians alone will drive Nigeria towards unnecessary division,” he said.

“The criminals want to portray the situation as a fight between Christians and Muslims. It is wrong to describe Nigeria as a country that does not tolerate religious freedom. It is also inaccurate to say that nowhere is safe in Nigeria. Our country is indeed safe.”

Idris maintained that Nigeria remains a tolerant nation where people of diverse faiths coexist peacefully, adding that it was wrong to describe the country as unsafe or hostile to religious freedom.

While admitting that Nigeria continues to grapple with security challenges, Idris said the administration of President Bola Tinubu has demonstrated stronger commitment and better coordination among security agencies to tackle the problem.

He added that recent changes in the leadership of the armed forces were part of efforts to enhance Nigeria’s security architecture and ensure a faster, more effective response to emerging threats.

“Yes, we have security issues in Nigeria, but the government has made massive investments to ensure safety for everyone,” he noted.

Idris added, “In recent years, the government has focused more attention on improving security through better military hardware and strategy.”

“We are also investing in agriculture and social services to strengthen non-kinetic approaches to peacebuilding. Even the recent changes in service chiefs were made to improve our security architecture and ensure government responds effectively to emerging threats.”

Onanuga, had dismissed the criticism, saying, “Christians are not targeted. We have religious harmony in our country.”

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