The United States on Thursday urged the Nigerian government to intensify efforts towards protecting Christian communities in the country.
The call was made by Allison Hooker, the US Under Secretary for Political Affairs. She said that although some progress had been made in recent months, recent attacks showed that Nigeria needed to do more to protect Christians.
During a high-level meeting of the US–Nigeria Working Group in Abuja, Hooker stated, “We are here to discuss how we can work together to deter violence against Christian communities, prioritizing counterterrorism and insecurity; investigating attacks and holding perpetrators accountable; and reducing the number of killings, forced displacements, and abductions of Christians, particularly in the North-Central states.”
“With respect to the protection of Christians, the Nigerian government recently secured the release of 38 Christians abducted from a church in Kwara State, and another 265 abducted from St. Mary’s School for the Devout This real progress is a direct result of our engagement with the Nigerian government and our partnership.
However, we are concerned about recent reports that on January 18, gunmen kidnapped over 170 Christians in Kaduna State. We want to see an end to this type of violence. Additionally, our mission is to collaborate with the Nigerian government to safeguard Christians’ rights to freely and safely practice their faith. She went on to say, “We call for the government to work with the local authorities to find and secure the release of the innocent victims, and we call for the government to work with NGOs to meet the needs of the victims’ families in the interim.” Hooker added that supporting the return of internally displaced people to their communities and advancing religious freedom and security would deepen relations between the United States and Nigeria in other areas, such as trade, economic cooperation, health responses, and the fight against terrorism. According to her, advancing religious freedom and security will help the United States and Nigeria enhance the reciprocal benefits of their relationship, “solidifying trade and economic deals, degrading terrorist groups that threaten our interests, and strengthening health responses, among many other areas”.
Hooker stated, “We also hope to identify ways to return internally displaced persons to the communities from which they were expelled in the North-Central states,” “interdict weapons and funding going to terrorist groups,” “expand investigations,” and ensure the prosecution of individuals and groups that commit atrocities.” “Non-Negotiable Protection of All Citizens” In response, Nuhu Ribadu, the National Security Adviser, stated that Nigeria, led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has taken deliberate and decisive measures to combat insecurity. These measures include intensifying joint operations and the continuous deployment of security forces to priority locations, particularly communities where civilians and religious groups are the targets of frequent attacks. “These directives have been matched with concrete action. Nigeria is developing a national database to serve as a single, authoritative source of accurate and verifiable data on deaths and casualties caused by violence. In addition, the country is expanding early warning and rapid response mechanisms. He stated, “This effort will strengthen evidence-based decision-making, accountability, and security response effectiveness.” Ribadu stated that investigations and prosecutions related to attacks on religious communities had been intensified to ensure that violence is met not only with force, but with justice and accountability.
“The protection of all citizens—Christians, Muslims, and those of other faiths—is non-negotiable in Nigeria, which is a deeply plural society. Religiously motivated violence is regarded as an attack on the Nigerian state. “Our response, therefore, integrates security operations, the rule of law, humanitarian safeguards, and strategic communication, ensuring that operational successes translate into public confidence and strengthened social cohesion,” he said.
US-Nigeria Partnership ‘Working’
Even though the US-Nigeria partnership is working, the NSA said that progress should be measured not by isolated incidents in a complicated security environment but by the overall direction of travel, the decisions made at the highest level of government, and the institutional capacity being built to prevent, respond to, and punish violence wherever it occurs. Nigeria considers this to be the most trustworthy and responsible foundation for partnership and evaluation. We also acknowledge that our partnership with the United States goes far beyond merely collaborating on security issues. It encompasses democratic resilience, respect for the rule of law, regional stability in West Africa and a shared determination to prevent extremist and malign actors from exploiting governance gaps or social fractures,” he added.
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