Nigeria dismisses Trump’s Christian killings claim

BERLIN

Nigerian Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar on Tuesday rejected US President Donald Trump's claims that Nigeria’s government was allowing the persecution and killing of Christians.

At a press conference in Berlin, Tuggar presented a document outlining Nigeria's constitutional guarantees of religious freedom, emphasizing that the government is bound by law to protect all citizens.

"It's impossible for there to be religious persecution that can be supported in any way, shape, or form by the government of Nigeria. At any level — be it federal, be it regional, be it local — it's impossible," he said.

Nigeria’s top diplomat also warned against efforts to destabilize his country following recent threats by US President Trump to launch a military intervention if the government fails to adequately protect Christians.

“What we are trying to make the world understand is that we should not create another Sudan,” Tuggar said. “We've seen what has happened with Sudan, with agitations for the partitioning of Sudan based on religion, based on tribal sentiments,” he said.

On Saturday, Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform that if the Nigerian government "continues to allow the killing of Christians," Washington would immediately cut all aid. He threatened that the US could “go into that now disgraced country, 'guns-a-blazing’.”

Trump's remarks echo rhetoric from right-wing lawmakers who portray Nigeria's violent conflicts as attacks on Christians. Most experts say this oversimplifies the situation, as the conflict stems from multiple factors beyond religion.

Nigeria has approximately 220 million people. About half the population is Muslim, 45% Christian, and the rest follow traditional beliefs.