Abuja: The Federal Government has firmly rejected attempts to frame Nigeria’s worsening security crisis in religious terms, warning that such “divisive and narrow rhetoric” risks undermining national unity.
President Donald Trump of the U.S. and his supporters say the recent killings in the country are targeted at Christians in what they see as a Christian genocide.
But the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said at a news conference on Wednesday in Abuja that the Federal Government was committed to tackling terrorism in the country headlong.
Idris said that terrorism, banditry, and other violent crimes affecting the nation cut across ethnic and religious lines; therefore, they should not be misrepresented as sectarian.
Idris said that such claims were not only factually inaccurate but also dangerously counterproductive to the national unity required to overcome the shared challenges.
“Nigeria’s security landscape is a complex combination of terrorism, banditry, and criminality that has claimed the lives and livelihoods of citizens across all ethnic and religious backgrounds.
“These forces of evil do not discriminate by faith; they target the very fabric of our nation.
“Indeed, framing Nigeria’s security challenges in religious terms is counterproductive to national unity, especially at a time when we need to stand together to defeat extraneous forces that are bent on destabilising our country.
“The international community, including respected global religious leaders, acknowledges the complex socio-economic and political roots of the conflicts, rather than a simplistic sectarian narrative.
“The position of the Federal Government of Nigeria remains unequivocal: Nigeria is a multi-faith nation where the freedom of worship is constitutionally guaranteed and must be upheld by everyone,” he said.
The minister further said that at this critical time, all Nigerians needed to be united.
Idris urged Nigerians to reject misinformation and division, recognising that the nation’s common enemies were terrorists, bandits, and those he described as criminals seeking to destabilise the country.
Present at the conference were the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga and the Special Adviser to the president on Policy Communication, Dr Daniel Bwala.
Also in attendance were Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media Affairs, Tunde Rahman, and the Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria, Malam Ali M. Ali, among others.