AfriPulse
President, Bola Tinubu
President Bola Tinubu has responded to President Donald Trump’s threats of military action against Nigeria over alleged killings and persecution of Christians.
Tinubu affirmed that his administration remains committed to religious freedom and cooperation with the United States on the protection of all faiths.
In a statement shared on his X handle on Sunday, Tinubu said Nigeria “stands firmly as a democracy governed by constitutional guarantees of religious liberty.
“Since 2023, our administration has maintained an open and active engagement with Christian and Muslim leaders alike and continues to address security challenges which affect citizens across faiths and regions.”
Reacting to Trump’s warning that the U.S. could “go into that now disgraced country, ‘guns-a-blazing,’ to completely wipe out the Islamic Terrorists,” Tinubu rejected what he termed mischaracterisation of Nigeria’s religious landscape.
“The characterisation of Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our national reality, nor does it take into consideration the consistent and sincere efforts of the government to safeguard freedom of religion and beliefs for all Nigerians,” he said.
“Religious freedom and tolerance have been a core tenet of our collective identity and shall always remain so. Nigeria opposes religious persecution and does not encourage it,” the president added.
Tinubu stressed that the Nigerian constitution guarantees protection for citizens of all faiths, adding that his government is willing to work with Trump’s administration and the international community to promote mutual understanding and strengthen collaboration on religious protection.
“Our administration is committed to working with the United States government and the international community to deepen understanding and cooperation on protection of communities of all faiths,” Tinubu stated.
Trump had on Saturday, via Truth Social, threatened to cut aid and possibly launch military action in Nigeria if the Tinubu administration failed to stop the killing of Christians.
“If the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the U.S.A. will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria, and may very well go into that now disgraced country, ‘guns-a-blazing,’ to completely wipe out the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities,” Trump wrote.
This came after the U.S. designated Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” under the International Religious Freedom Act over alleged systematic violations of religious rights.
The Tinubu administration had previously denied the allegations.
Source: TheWhistler | Read the Full Story…
