Abuja, Nigeria – The Federal Government of Nigeria has formally pushed back against a United States congressional report alleging the systemic persecution of Christians within the West African nation. In a public statement, Nigerian officials strongly denied that the state sponsors or supports religious targeting, attributing the country’s ongoing security challenges to complex threats including terrorism, organized criminality, and longstanding communal conflicts.
Okay News reports that the diplomatic response, issued on Tuesday, February 24, 2026, by Nigeria’s Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, followed a joint report submitted to the White House by the US House Foreign Affairs Committee and the US House Appropriations Committee. While the Nigerian government acknowledged the severe impact of criminal violence on its communities, it maintained that the nation’s constitution strictly guarantees freedom of religion and worship for all citizens, ensuring equal protection under the law regardless of faith or ethnicity.
Addressing the evolving security crisis, the federal government outlined its ongoing military and law enforcement operations aimed at degrading armed groups and dismantling kidnapping networks across affected regions. “The violence being confronted by our security agencies is not driven by government policy or religious bias, but by complex security threats, including terrorism, organised criminality, and longstanding communal tensions,” Idris stated, emphasizing that current counter-terrorism offensives have successfully disrupted criminal operations and improved early warning mechanisms.
To further combat these widespread threats, Nigerian authorities announced the establishment and deployment of specially trained forest guards designed to deny terrorists safe havens in rural areas. Despite the critical nature of the American congressional report, the Nigerian government reaffirmed its commitment to its strategic partnership with the United States, expressing an openness to constructive dialogue that promotes regional stability while respecting Nigeria’s sovereignty and constitutional framework.
