Nigeria Responds Officially to Trump's Threats: 'Impossible' to Support Religious Persecution

Nigeria affirmed today, Tuesday, that the country's constitution does not allow religious persecution, in response to US President Donald Trump's threat of military intervention over what he claimed were "killings targeting Christians" in the country.

Nigerian Foreign Minister's Statements

• Denial of Supporting Persecution: Nigerian Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar, speaking at a press conference in Berlin, stated: "It is impossible for the Nigerian government to support any religious persecution in any way, shape, or form, at any level."

• Constitutional Commitment: Tuggar stressed that Nigeria has a "constitutional commitment to religious freedom and the rule of law."

• First Official Response: These remarks are the first official response from a Nigerian government official to Trump's threats made over the weekend.

US Threats and Nigerian Concerns

• Trump's Threat: Trump had stated on social media platforms that he had asked the Pentagon to prepare a plan for a potential attack because "Christians are being killed in very large numbers," blaming "radical Islamists" without providing evidence.

• Internal Situation: Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, is almost equally divided between a predominantly Muslim North and a predominantly Christian South, and the country faces multiple conflicts that experts say kill both Christians and Muslims.

  • Denial of Targeting Christians: Nigeria denied that Christians are targeted by jihadist attacks more than followers of other religions.

• Warning Against Division: Tuggar, alongside his German counterpart Johann Wadephul, warned against any attempts to divide Nigeria along religious lines, citing similarities with the crisis in Sudan following incitement to its division based on religion and tribal affiliations.