Nigeria flaunts religious freedoms after Trump designation

Nigeria has vowed to continue defending citizens of all religions after the administration of US President Donald Trump listed it as a "country of concern" over what Trump claimed was an "existential threat" to Christianity.

The West African state's population of over 220 million is almost equally divided between Muslims and Christians.

Islamist militant groups, such as Boko Haram, have been conducting attacks in the country for some 15 years, but most of their victims are Muslims living in the north, where the majority of the attacks occur.

Nigeria also witnesses other incidents of violence rooted in communal and ethnic conflicts and fights over scarce land and water resources.

What did Trump say about Christianity in Nigeria?

In a social media post on Friday, Trump announced Nigeria had been re-added to the US watch list.

"Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter," Trump wrote, providing no details or evidence for his claims.

Nigeria was added to the same list in 2020, also over religious freedom concerns, during Trump's first term in office. It was removed a year later under Democratic former President Joe Biden.

Weeks ago, US Republican Senator Ted Cruz claimed "Christian mass murder" was taking place in Nigeria, urging Congress to designate the country as a violator of religious freedoms.

How has Nigeria reacted to the designation?

Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu said the designation was not a reflection of the reality on the ground.

"Religious freedom and tolerance have been a core tenet of our collective identity and shall always remain so," Tinubu said. "Nigeria opposes religious persecution and does not encourage it. Nigeria is a country with constitutional guarantees to protect citizens of all faiths."

The Foreign Ministry of Africa's most populous country also pushed back.

"The Federal Government of Nigeria will continue to defend all citizens, irrespective of race, creed, or religion," ministry spokesperson Kimiebi Ebienfa said in a statement on Saturday. "Like America, Nigeria has no option but to celebrate the diversity that is our greatest strength."

Trump threatens to strike Islamists in Nigeria 'guns-a-blazing'

Later on Saturday, the US president threatened Nigeria's government with strikes on Islamist militants.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said that US forces "may very well go into that now disgraced country, 'guns-a-blazing,' to completely wipe out the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities."

"I am hereby instructing our Department of War to prepare for possible action," Trump wrote. "If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our CHERISHED Christians!"

Edited by: Sean Sinico