- Tinubu’s U.S. Envoy to Congress: Nigeria Is Recording Real Progress Against Insecurity
- Balofin egan by acknowledging the suffering experienced by both Christian and Muslim communities
- Proposes three steps to strengthen cooperation between both countries
Nigeria top political representative in the United States, Dr Taiwo Ajibolu Balofin, has told the United States Congress that the widespread killings and kidnappings in parts of Nigeria are being wrongly framed as religious persecution.
Eko Hot Blog reports that he said available data shows that most attacks are driven by criminal banditry rather than faith based violence.
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Balofin, who serves as Chairman of APC USA and the official United States spokesman for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration, delivered the remarks on Thursday before the House Subcommittee on Africa chaired by Representative Chris Smith.
He began by acknowledging the suffering experienced by both Christian and Muslim communities, noting that members of his own family have lost relatives, homes and churches to violence. He said Congress deserves the full truth rather than a partial narrative.
According to Balofin, four realities shape the current security situation in Nigeria. First, he cited findings from independent institutions including the International Crisis Group, the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project, the United States Institute of Peace and the Council on Foreign Relations.
These organisations agree that violence in the North West and North Central regions has shifted from Boko Haram religious insurgency to criminal activities built around kidnapping for ransom, extortion and land related conflict. He noted that more than sixty per cent of recorded abductions this year in Zamfara, Kaduna and Katsina occurred in Muslim communities.
Second, Balofin said the Tinubu administration is combating insecurity on an unprecedented scale through expanded troop deployments, increased aerial operations using United States supplied Super Tucano aircraft and new peace and stabilisation programmes. He said these efforts have rescued thousands of hostages of different faiths and have contributed to a twenty eight per cent decline in communal violence deaths compared to the previous year.
Third, he warned that as Nigeria approaches the 2027 elections, political actors may attempt to exploit genuine suffering for political gain. He urged the Subcommittee to continue relying on verified information drawn from multiple credible sources.
Fourth, he advised against broad punitive measures by the United States, arguing that such actions would undermine joint security operations and give extremists a propaganda advantage. He said partnership rather than sanctions saves the most lives.
Balofin proposed three steps to strengthen cooperation between both countries. These include the creation of a joint United States Nigeria Religious Freedom and Security Working Group, the expansion of United States Agency for International Development supported community resilience projects which have reduced violence in southern Kaduna, and the establishment of a transparent Victims of Violence Trust Fund to support affected Christians and Muslims equally.
He concluded by praising Chairman Smith for his long standing advocacy for persecuted Christians and urged the United States Congress to champion the full truth while supporting a strong United States Nigeria partnership. Speaking on behalf of President Tinubu, he said two hundred and twenty million Nigerians simply want peace.
