- Bishop Badejo warns: “Hiring Ahab to deliver you from Jezebel is self-immolation
- EU reaffirms respect for Nigeria’s sovereignty
- HURIWA backs Trump, faults FG’s denial
United States President, Donald Trump has once again placed Nigeria at the centre of a global human-rights debate — this time declaring that “Christianity is facing an existential threat” in the country and calling for urgent American action. Trump’s statement, which went viral across international media and social networks last week, accused “radical Islamists” of orchestrating a “mass slaughter of Christians” and accused the Nigerian government of looking the other way. “Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter. I am hereby making Nigeria a ‘COUNTRY OF PARTICULAR CONCERN’ — but that is the least of it,” Trump said.
“When Christians, or any such group, are slaughtered like is happening in Nigeria — 3,100 compared to 4,476 worldwide — something must be done! I am asking Congressman Riley Moore, together with Chairman Tom Cole and the House Appropriations Committee, to immediately look into this matter and report back to me. “The United States cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening in Nigeria and numerous other countries. We stand ready, willing, and able to save our great Christian population around the world!” The statement — the strongest yet from any major world figure on Nigeria’s sectarian violence — triggered a flurry of diplomatic explanations, political commentary, and moral reflection throughout the week.
Tinubu: Dialogue, not dramatics
President Bola Tinubu has maintained a calm and measured response to former U.S. President Donald Trump’s controversial remarks accusing the Nigerian government of overlooking a “Christian genocide.” Speaking through the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, the President reaffirmed that Nigeria remains committed to peace, unity, and religious freedom, while engaging the international community through dialogue and diplomacy. “Mr. President is calm and looking for ways to ensure that the international community understands what Nigeria has been doing,” Idris said after a recent meeting with the President at the State House, Abuja.
He said Tinubu’s administration prefers constructive diplomacy over confrontation and has already taken significant steps to strengthen national security, reform intelligence operations, and promote inter-religious dialogue. “These were steps already taken before the U.S. concerns arose. Nigeria remains committed to ensuring the safety of all her citizens, regardless of •faith,” Idris noted. The minister cautioned against sweeping generalisations that portray Nigeria as intolerant as he emphasised that the country’s diversity remains a source of unity rather than division. “For us to be characterised as a country intolerant of religion is absolutely false. What we have are extremists trying to divide the country. This is not the time for rhetoric but for nation-building,” he added.
Bishop Badejo: Trump’s sanction threat a poisoned chalice
Amid the mounting reactions, the Catholic Bishop of Oyo Diocese, Most Rev. Emmanuel Adetoyese Badejo, described Trump’s proposed sanctions or intervention as “a poisoned chalice.” The prelate drew a vivid metaphor, warning that entrusting Nigeria’s internal healing to external forces could be counter-productive. “Hiring Ahab to deliver you from Jezebel is self-immolation,” he said pointedly. Bishop Badejo called instead for internal renewal and coordinated civic pressure on leaders to act with moral integrity and national interest.
“We really need a better strategy — more insightful, cohesive, and good-willed pressure from Nigerians to compel government at all levels to do its job with intelligence, sincerity, and courage,” he advised. The bishop, who has consistently spoken against both religious extremism and political hypocrisy, emphasised that genuine peace must come from within. “Nigeria needs God’s help, but also the help of patriotic Nigerians to save the country.” His remarks mirror the broader view within the Catholic Church that while persecution must never be ig nored, sustainable solutions arise from justice, equity, and moral reform — not external coercion.
EU distances itself, reaffirms Nigeria’s sovereignty
The European Union was quick to temper global reactions, distancing itself from Trump’s hard-line posture and reaffirming its respect for Nigeria’s sovereignty. EU Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Mr. Gautier Mignot, said the bloc’s partnership with Nigeria remains rooted in dialogue, development, and solidarity. “Our position is one of solidarity with Nigeria — solidarity with the victims of violence, with the authorities working to protect citizens, and with the Nigerian people who desire peaceful coexistence beyond ethnic and religious divides,” Mignot said in a statement released in Abuja.
He added that while no nation is free from challenges, Nigeria’s constitutional framework still provides space for human-rights protection and interfaith cooperation. “It is up to Nigerian authorities and society as a whole to strengthen this environment of peaceful coexistence,” he concluded. The EU continues to fund several programmes focused on deradicalisation, reintegration of displaced persons, and community peacebuilding across northern and Middle-Belt regions.
HURIWA: Trump spoke the hard truth
Not everyone shared Bishop Badejo’s caution. The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) welcomed Trump’s statement as “a wake-up call to a government that has long chosen denial over duty.” In a release signed by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, HURIWA applauded Trump for “drawing renewed global attention to the systematic killing of Christians in Nigeria.” “Trump’s declaration has vindicated our consistent warnings that the killings in Plateau, Benue, Kaduna, Taraba, Niger, Zamfara, and parts of Borno are not random acts of banditry but coordinated genocidal campaigns targeting Christians,” the group asserted.
