- Nigeria Dismisses Trump’s Military Threat, Says Constitution Forbids Religious Persecution
- Trump claimed to have asked the Pentagon to draw up “a possible plan of attack”
- Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also issued a statement earlier this week reaffirming that the country’s constitution guarantees freedom
The Nigerian government has dismissed allegations of religious persecution following US President Donald Trump’s threat of military intervention over the alleged killing of Christians in the country, Eko Hot Blog reports.
Speaking at a press conference in Berlin on Tuesday, Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, said the Nigerian constitution upholds the freedom of religion and forbids discrimination on any grounds.
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“There can’t be a religious persecution that can be supported in any way, shape or form by the government of Nigeria at any level,” Tuggar said.
His comments marked the first official government response after Trump’s threat, made on social media over the weekend, where he claimed to have asked the Pentagon to draw up “a possible plan of attack” because “they’re killing the Christians and killing them in very large numbers”.
Tuggar rejected the allegations, stressing that Nigeria remains committed to its “constitutional commitment to religious freedom and rule of law.”
He warned against attempts to divide Nigeria along religious or ethnic lines, drawing a parallel with the crisis in Sudan.
“What we are trying to make the world understand is that we should not create another Sudan,” he said. “We’ve seen what has happened with Sudan, where partitioning along religious or tribal lines only worsened the crisis.”
Experts have long argued that Nigeria’s complex conflicts cut across religious and ethnic lines, with both Christians and Muslims affected by violence in equal measure.
Trump’s comments have, however, gained traction among sections of the US and European right, who frequently accuse Nigeria of failing to protect its Christian population.
Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also issued a statement earlier this week reaffirming that the country’s constitution guarantees freedom for all citizens irrespective of religion.
“Nigeria opposes religious persecution and does not encourage it,” said Kimiebi Ebienfa, spokesperson for the ministry. “Nigeria is a country with constitutional guarantees to protect citizens of all faiths. Like America, Nigeria has no option but to celebrate the diversity that is our greatest strength.”
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