The United States has called on the Nigerian government to take stronger and more decisive action to protect Christian communities.
Allison Hooker, the US under secretary for political affairs, spoke during a high-level US–Nigeria working group meeting in Abuja on Thursday.
Hooker said the meeting was to discuss how both countries can work together to deter violence against Christian communities, prioritise counterterrorism and insecurity, investigate attacks and hold perpetrators accountable, and reduce the number of killings, forced displacements and abductions of Christians, particularly in the north-central states.
She said that while some progress had been made in recent months, recent attacks showed that Nigeria must do more to guarantee the safety of Christians and their right to practise their faith freely.
“On 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 Catholic School. This real progress is a direct result of our engagement with the Nigerian government,” Punch quoted Hooker as saying.
“However, we are concerned about recent reports that gunmen kidnapped more than 170 Christians in Kaduna State on January 18. The Government of Nigeria must do more to protect Christians and their right to practise their faith freely and safely.”
Hooker said advancing religious freedom and security would deepen US–Nigeria relations in other areas, including trade, economic cooperation, health response and the fight against terrorism.
She said the US would also support the return of internally displaced persons to their communities.
“Advancing religious freedom and security will help the United States and Nigeria enhance the reciprocal benefits of our relationship: solidifying trade and economic deals, degrading terrorist groups that threaten our interests, and strengthening health responses, among many other areas,” she said.
“We 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 committing atrocities.”
In response, Nuhu Ribadu, national security adviser (NSA), acknowledged the gravity of the security challenges and said the government was intensifying military and law enforcement operations in affected areas.
He reiterated that attacks framed along religious lines were unacceptable and would be met with force and justice.
“Nigeria is a deeply plural society, and the protection of all citizens—Christians, Muslims and those of other beliefs—is non-negotiable. Violence framed along religious lines is treated as an attack on the Nigerian state itself,” Ribadu said.
“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.
“At the national level, and under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Nigeria has taken deliberate and decisive steps to confront insecurity.
”The President has formally declared national security emergencies in vulnerable and high-risk areas, authorised intensified joint operations, and directed the sustained deployment of security forces to priority locations, particularly communities experiencing recurrent attacks on civilians and religious groups.
“These directives have been matched with concrete action. Nigeria is expanding early-warning and rapid-response mechanisms and developing a national database to serve as a single, authoritative source of accurate and verifiable data on deaths and casualties arising from violence.
“This effort will strengthen evidence-based decision-making, accountability and the effectiveness of security responses. In parallel, investigations and prosecutions related to attacks on religious communities have been intensified to ensure that violence is met not only with force, but with justice and accountability.”
0 Comments