Responds to US Strikes, Rejects Religious Framing of Insecurity

By Lizzy Chirkpi

Th federal government has reacted to Thursday’s United States airstrikes by commending cooperation with Washington, while firmly rejecting any suggestion that the action was linked to the persecution of Christians in the country.

In a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the government acknowledged ongoing security collaboration with the United States but stressed that Nigeria’s security crisis should not be framed along religious lines.

“Terrorist violence in any form, whether directed at Christians, Muslims or other communities, remains an affront to Nigeria’s values and to international peace and security,” the ministry said.

The statement comes amid renewed international attention on Nigeria’s worsening security situation, which has claimed thousands of lives and led to widespread abductions in recent years. Armed groups operate across several regions of the country, exploiting weak security and local grievances.

In the North-East, Boko Haram and its splinter faction, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), have waged a deadly insurgency since 2009, killing tens of thousands and displacing millions. In the North-West, heavily armed criminal gangs commonly referred to as bandits carry out mass kidnappings and violent raids affecting both Muslim and Christian communities.

Responding to past criticisms from former US President Donald Trump and others, Nigerian authorities have consistently argued that victims of violence cut across religious and ethnic lines.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu reiterated this position last month, dismissing claims that Nigeria is religiously intolerant.

“Religious freedom and tolerance have been a core tenet of our collective identity and shall always remain so,” Tinubu said, adding that Nigeria’s constitution guarantees the protection of citizens of all faiths.

The government maintains that while international partnerships remain important, Nigeria’s security challenges are complex and rooted in terrorism and criminality rather than religious persecution.