Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, has reaffirmed that Nigeria’s constitution prohibits any form of religious persecution.
Tuggar made the remark on Tuesday in Berlin, Germany, while addressing journalists following U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent threat of military action over alleged killings of Christians in Nigeria.
“It’s impossible for there to be a religious persecution that can be supported in any way, shape or form by the government of Nigeria at any level,” the minister stated.
Trump had claimed on social media that Christians were being killed “in very large numbers” in Nigeria, adding that he had instructed the Pentagon to prepare a possible plan of attack.
Tuggar, however, emphasized that Nigeria remains committed to upholding religious freedom and the rule of law.
He noted that while the country faces multiple security challenges, the violence has affected both Christians and Muslims without distinction. He warned against efforts to portray Nigeria’s conflicts as religious, cautioning that such divisions could have dire consequences similar to those seen in Sudan.
“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 there with partitioning based on religion and tribe, and the crisis that followed.”
The minister dismissed claims of Christian-targeted persecution, stressing that Nigeria’s security issues stem from broader socio-economic and regional factors rather than religion.
Trump has not called for Nigeria’s division but insists that “radical Islamists” are behind what he described as mass killings of Christians.
The Nigerian government has repeatedly denied that Christians are being targeted more than adherents of other faiths.
