The Federal Government says it is not denying the scale of killings across the country but is taking significant steps to address security challenges in Nigeria.
Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, stated this during an appearance on Channels Television’s programme Politics Today on Friday.
“Yes, we have people being killed, no doubt about that, and the government is not shying away or denying this,” the minister said.
He explained that some deaths arise from religious tensions, economic pressures, and persistent communal clashes, especially in the Middle Belt.
Idris added that no administration gains anything from allowing such violence and noted that the President is “deeply saddened” by every life lost.
“Do we have people killed? Yes. Is it a good thing? No. Is the government doing anything? Quite a lot.
“We should not have a situation where anybody is killed, whether Christians or Muslims,” the minister said.
The information minister once again dismissed suggestions of religious genocide, insisting that both Christians and Muslims suffer from extremist violence.
“You have jihadist extremism coming from the North-East, and this is a sixteen-year struggle,” he noted.
He stressed that these extremists kill both Muslims and Christians, making the genocide narrative inaccurate.
The minister added that before President Donald Trump’s redesignation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC), President Tinubu had already overhauled the security architecture by replacing service chiefs to strengthen operations.
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Trump’s Order
Trump had threatened to send U.S. forces into Nigeria with “guns-a-blazing” if attacks on Christians continued. He urged the Nigerian government to act fast.
A recent report revealed that the U.S. military had drafted contingency plans for possible intervention in Nigeria.
Trump directed the Pentagon to prepare options to protect Christians from terrorist attacks.
Some U.S. officials warned that isolated airstrikes will not resolve the insurgency without a broader campaign, which Washington is unwilling to launch.
However, President Tinubu’s government has repeatedly dismissed Trump’s claim that Nigeria is hostile to Christians.
In a personally signed statement, Tinubu said the description “does not reflect our national reality.” He noted ongoing engagement with Christian and Muslim leaders since 2023 to resolve security challenges.
Congress Debates CPC Redesignation
On Thursday, the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa held a hearing on Trump’s decision to redesignate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern.
The session, titled “A Serious, Well-Founded Wake-Up Call,” examined allegations of religious-freedom violations and Nigeria’s response to insecurity.
Senior State Department officials Jonathan Pratt and Jacob McGee testified about attacks by Boko Haram and armed militias on minority communities.
Committee Chairman Chris Smith argued that Nigeria faces “systematic, ongoing, egregious violations of religious freedom.”
Lawmakers debated whether Nigeria has failed to curb the violence and considered sanctions, visa bans, and stricter conditions on U.S. assistance.
Witnesses Outline Varied Perspectives at the congress. Other witnesses included Hudson Institute’s Nina Shea, Catholic Diocese of Makurdi Bishop Wilfred Anagbe, and CSIS Africa Programme director Oge Onubogu
The hearing marks a significant moment in U.S.–Nigeria relations, with discussions and reactions dominating public discourse for two weeks.