The United States on Thursday urged the Nigerian government to intensify efforts towards protecting Christian communities in the country.
US Under Secretary for Political Affairs Allison Hooker, who made the call, said that while some progress had been made in recent months, recent attacks indicated that Nigeria must do more to guarantee the safety of Christians.
“Today, we are here to discuss how we can work together to deter violence against Christian communities, prioritising counterterrorism and insecurity; investigating attacks and holding perpetrators accountable; and reducing the number of killings, forced displacements, and abductions of Christians, particularly in the North-Central states, Hooker said during a high-level US–Nigeria Working Group meeting in Abuja.
“With respect to the protection of Christians, the Nigerian government recently secured the release of 38 Christians abducted from a church in Kwara State, and another 265 abducted from St. Mary’s Catholic School. This real progress is a direct result of our engagement with the Nigerian government and our partnership.
“We are, however, concerned about recent reports that gunmen kidnapped more than 170 Christians in Kaduna State on January 18. We want to see an end to this type of violence. And we are here to work with the Nigerian government with the goal of protecting Christians and their right to practise their faith freely and safely.
“We call for the government to work with the local authorities to find and secure the release of the innocent victims and to work with NGOs to meet the victims’ families’ needs in the meantime,” she added.
Hooker added that advancing religious freedom and security would deepen U.S.–Nigeria relations in other areas, including trade, economic cooperation, health responses, and the fight against terrorism, while also supporting the return of internally displaced persons to their communities.
