The Federal Government has dismissed claims that Christians are being targeted by bandits and insurgents in the North-East and North-West regions of the country.
This comes after reports that the United States House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa authorised former President Donald Trump to impose sanctions on Nigeria over the alleged widespread killing of Christians.
The decision followed a congressional hearing where US lawmakers criticized the Nigerian government for not protecting Christian communities from rising violence. They also referenced a 2024 report by the Observatory for Religious Freedom in Africa, which claimed that Nigerians accounted for 90 percent of all Christians killed worldwide each year.
In response, the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a statement on Friday, described these reports as misleading.
Acting Spokesperson for the Ministry, Kimiebi Ebienfa, said the claims were part of an attempt to pressure foreign governments into labelling Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” for religious violence.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs wishes to express strong concern over the recent wave of misinformation and misleading reports regarding the supposed targeted killings of Christians in Nigeria,” the statement read.
According to the ministry, Nigeria’s security challenges are not based on religious bias.
“While the Federal Government acknowledges the security challenges confronting the nation, it is imperative to clarify that these negative activities are not driven by religious bias, nor targeted against any particular religious group,” Ebienfa said.
He further explained that most cases of banditry and insurgency in the northern regions affect people of all faiths, adding that efforts to paint the crisis as religious persecution were “erroneous and misleading.”
Ebienfa also highlighted that Nigeria is a multi-ethnic and multi-religious country, and the government is committed to protecting all its citizens regardless of their faith or ethnicity.
“The government of Nigeria, under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has taken significant steps to address these security concerns, including the deployment of security forces, intelligence gathering and community engagement initiatives,” the statement added.
The ministry stressed that both federal and state governments are using military and non-military approaches to tackle security issues, including the national livestock plan aimed at resolving clashes between farmers and herders.
The government called on the international community to fact-check information before making comments that could increase tension in Nigeria.
It also urged media outlets, civil society groups, and foreign partners to avoid spreading unverified reports and instead support efforts to promote national unity and peace.
