"On Friday, US President Donald Trump announced his decision to designate Nigeria as a country of particular concern due to the killing of Christians by radical Islamists. This State Department classification is reserved for countries that violate religious freedom. Later in the weekend, Trump said he had asked the Department of Defense to prepare for potential "fast" military action if Nigeria did not crack down on the killing of Christians. His rhetoric has put a strain on the two countries' diplomatic relationship."
""Recent external claims suggesting systemic religious persecution in Nigeria are unfounded," said Foreign Ministry Permanent Secretary Dunoma Umar Ahmed, addressing foreign diplomats at a briefing in the capital city of Abuja on Wednesday. It was unclear whether the US ambassador was present. "The state continues to wage a comprehensive counter-terrorism campaign against groups that target Nigerians of all faiths," Ahmed said, adding that US rhetoric had been "disparaging" and that "dialogue and cooperation" should "remain the standard in engagement between and among sovereign states.""
US President Donald Trump designated Nigeria as a 'country of particular concern' citing killings of Christians by radical Islamists and warned of potential 'fast' military action if Nigeria did not act. The State Department classification targets countries that violate religious freedom. Nigeria's Foreign Ministry rejected the designation as based on misinformation and inaccurate data. The ministry said the state wages a comprehensive counter-terrorism campaign against groups targeting Nigerians of all faiths and criticized US rhetoric as disparaging. Nigerian officials called for dialogue and cooperation between sovereign states and defended the country's commitment to protecting religious freedom. The government described threats of military action as unwarranted and misrepresenting complex security challenges.
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