Genocide Allegation: Nigeria urges Trump to show understanding on security situation

The Federal Government has appealed to United States President Donald Trump to approach Nigeria’s security situation with greater understanding and context, following his recent remarks describing the killing of Christians in the country as a “mass slaughter.”

Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, made the appeal on Wednesday during a press briefing in Abuja.

He stressed that Nigeria’s challenges were complex and require constructive engagement rather than external threats or unilateral actions.

“We call on our American friends and partners to approach the Nigerian situation with an understanding of its complex realities.

“Nigeria is a vast, multi-ethnic, multi-religious nation making significant progress in economic reforms and security sector strengthening, ” Idris said.

The minister’s remarks came days after Trump warned that the United States could take action against Nigeria over alleged persecution of Christians, claiming that “Christianity faces an existential threat” in the country.

Idris insisted that the Nigerian government has recorded major victories in its war against terrorism, banditry, and kidnapping, particularly in the North-East and North-West regions.

“A recent report by the Global Terrorism Index confirmed that terrorist attacks in Nigeria are at their lowest levels in over a decade.

“This is not our own assessment but that of the international community, ” he said.

He disclosed that in the last eight months alone, the military had neutralised more than 590 terrorists in Borno State, freed over 11,000 hostages, and received the surrender of 124 insurgents and their families, who turned in over 11,000 weapons to security agencies.

The minister added that the government had invested heavily in modern military equipment and logistics to sustain the momentum, while President Bola Tinubu has increased budgetary allocations to the armed forces.

“The Tinubu administration has demonstrated strong political will to defeat terrorism and criminality. We are making steady progress, and our military operations continue to yield results,” Idris said.

He highlighted recent operations in the North-West that led to the neutralisation of several notorious bandit leaders, including Ali Kachalla, Boderi, and Halilu Sububu, as well as the rescue of 11,250 hostages from terrorist enclaves in Zamfara and Kaduna States.

“Just this August, the military intercepted and killed over 400 armed bandits who had gathered to attack a village in Zamfara,” he said.

While reaffirming Nigeria’s openness to global partnerships, Idris emphasised that collaboration, not confrontation, remained the best approach to addressing shared security concerns.

“Nigeria welcomes dialogue, cooperation, and support from friendly nations, including the United States.

“Constructive engagement is the surest and most effective path to peace and stability in Nigeria and anywhere else in the world, ” he said.

Trump, in a statement released last Friday, had claimed that “radical Islamists” were responsible for the mass killing of Christians in Nigeria, alleging that over 3,000 believers had been killed this year alone.

“Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter,” Trump said, adding that the U.S. “cannot stand by while such atrocities happen.”

He also directed U.S. lawmakers, including Congressman Riley Moore and House Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole, to investigate the situation and recommend measures to address it, declaring Nigeria a “country of particular concern.”

The Nigerian government has since rejected the genocide allegation, maintaining that terrorism in the country affects all communities, Christians, Muslims, and people of other faiths and that the government is committed to protecting every citizen.