Amid rising violence, Nigeria rejects Trump's claim of targeted Christian persecution

Key Concepts

• Nigeria's Demographics and Conflicts: Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation (236 million people), is roughly split between Christians and Muslims. It faces multifaceted violence, including international terrorist groups and farmer-herder disputes.
• Terrorist Groups:
  • Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP): Active in the northeast, targeting military barracks and infrastructure.
  • Boko Haram: Known for opposing female education, kidnapping schoolgirls (82 still captive from a 2014 incident), bombing mosques (killing 120 in 2014), and targeting Christians.
  • Al-Shabaab: A Somali-based group that attacked a church in Southwest Nigeria in 2022, killing 50 parishioners.
  • Lakurawa: A new group with international links identified in the northwest.
• Farmer-Herder Conflicts: Primarily occurring in Central Nigeria, these disputes are between nomadic Muslim herders and Christian farmers over land and resources. While often framed as religious, ACLED data suggests most incidents are over land, not religious targeting.
• US Intervention Threats: President Trump has threatened military intervention in Nigeria and cutting aid, citing the killing of Christians. He designated Nigeria a "country of particular concern" under the International Religious Freedom Act.
• Nigerian Government's Stance: The Nigerian government insists it is fighting terrorism and addressing violence without religious profiling, calling claims of targeted Christian persecution a "hoax." They acknowledge limitations in arms and ammunition and seek collaboration with the U.S.
• International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA): A U.S. law that allows the designation of countries as "countries of particular concern" for severe religious freedom violations.
• ACLED (Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project): An independent conflict monitor that tracks and analyzes data on political violence and protests.

Summary

Threats to Nigeria: Internal Adversaries and White House Pressure

Nigeria, the most populous nation in Africa with 236 million people, faces a complex security landscape marked by internal conflicts and external pressure from the White House. The country is roughly divided between Christian and Muslim populations and has long struggled with various forms of violence, ranging from international terrorist groups to inter-communal disputes.

Terrorist Violence in Northern Nigeria

In the northeast, groups like the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) continue to carry out attacks, as evidenced by recent incidents involving torched military barracks and simultaneous assaults across multiple districts. For years, Boko Haram, a prominent Islamist terrorist group, has plagued northern Nigeria. Their violence extends beyond military targets, notably including their violent opposition to female education. A stark example is the 2014 kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls, with 82 still remaining in captivity. Boko Haram has also targeted places of worship, such as a mosque bombing in 2014 that killed 120 people.

The group has also specifically targeted Christians. Nick Schifrin witnessed the aftermath of an attack in Mubi in 2015, where the Church of the Brethren sustained significant damage, with the cross on the wall almost erased by fire. Elia Usman, the church's secretary, recounted how attackers would ask individuals their religion and shoot Christians. He stated that "There's no one single church left in Mubi. They're burned it."

This violence persists. In 2022, the Nigerian government reported that members of Al-Shabaab, typically based in Somalia, attacked a church in Southwest Nigeria, resulting in the slaughter of 50 parishioners during Sunday mass. While Nigeria claims to have reduced terrorism, it has identified a new group with international ties in the northwest called Lakurawa.

Farmer-Herder Conflicts and Religious Dimensions

Nigeria's population is geographically distributed, with most Muslims residing in the north and most Christians in the south. The middle belt is a region where these groups overlap, alongside various tribes and the contentious farmer-herder communities. For decades, nomadic herders, predominantly Muslim, have clashed with farmers, predominantly Christian, over land disputes and dwindling resources.

The independent conflict monitor ACLED reported to "PBS News Hour" that data from the previous year showed a rise in Christian fatalities, primarily in Central Nigeria. This year, there has been a 43 percent increase in attacks attributed to Fulani herders compared to the previous year. However, ACLED emphasizes that the "vast majority of the incidents were over land disputes, not targeting because of religion." Despite this, a significant incident in June saw at least 150 displaced people killed at a Catholic mission, with the community blaming Muslim Fulani herders.

U.S. Pressure and Threats of Intervention

These ongoing conflicts have drawn the attention of the White House. President Trump has explicitly threatened to deploy the U.S. military into Nigeria and to cut American aid, citing the country's perceived failure to protect Nigerian Christians. He stated, "Could be. I mean, a lot of things -- I envisage a lot of things. They're killing record numbers of Christians in Nigeria."

Last month, President Trump designated Nigeria a country of particular concern under the International Religious Freedom Act. He also wrote that he "may very well go into that now-disgraced country guns a blazing."

Nina Shea, Director of the Center for Religious Freedom at the Hudson Institute, supports this critical stance, arguing that "The government doesn't help the Christians. They're not protecting them. They're not protecting their villages." Shea, along with 30 other advocates, Christian organizations, and think tanks, sent a letter to President Trump in October, asserting that the Nigerian government "demonstrably tolerates relentless aggression uniquely against Christian farming families."

When questioned about why violence appears to be directed at Christians, despite Muslim-on-Muslim and Christian-on-Christian violence, and the government's general failure to stop all violence, Shea responded that while the government is fighting groups like Boko Haram and ISWAP in the north, "It is not trying to arrest or prosecute or in any way rein in these Fulani herders." She added that local Christian leaders report that herders are "trying to cleanse the land of Christians, that they are establishing the land for Islamic rule."

Nigerian Government's Response and Counterarguments

Nigeria's government maintains that it is taking steps to address violence affecting all Nigerians. Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser on Media to Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, stated, "As a responsible government, we refuse to approach the fight against terrorism from a profiling point of view. That's why we discourage the idea that it is a target -- targeted Christian -- it's a hoax. It's a hoax."

Bwala, who grew up in Borno state, the epicenter of Boko Haram violence, asserted that the killings by terrorists are "not targeted at any particular religion." He acknowledged that international organizations track violence between herders and farmers in Central Nigeria but characterized it as a matter of "cattle rustling and then the case of incursion on people's land and land grabbing by the Islamic militia, so to speak." He added that the government is "dialoguing with the people, and we have been sifting out and isolating criminal elements who are taking advantage of that situation to cause mayhem to our people."

When asked if he acknowledges that many Nigerians feel the government hasn't done enough to guarantee their security, Bwala replied, "Yes, I will not deny the fact that there have been many. And we have been saying that we have limitation of arms and ammunition. Our relationship with America will help strengthen this fight."

U.S.-Nigeria Relations and Trump's Rhetoric

Historically, the U.S. and Nigerian militaries have collaborated on training and intelligence sharing to combat terrorist groups. However, President Trump's threats have generated widespread criticism in Nigeria, a country generally considered pro-American. The Nigerian government has offered collaboration, with Bwala stating, "When President Trump said what he said, we take it -- we took it in good faith. We feel like it's a message that calls for a sitting down, so we can broaden this conversation around what we need."

Bwala also commented on Trump's public persona, noting, "Donald Trump, quite frankly, is one president that African people celebrate the most, because he's not political correct about any opinion he holds." He added, "We don't need interpreter to tell us that Donald Trump thinks well about Nigeria. That's why we don't take what he says hook-like and sinker." Bwala pointed out that Trump has made similar threats to other countries and leaders, including Canada and Ukraine's President Zelenskyy. The Nigerian government aims to "pass the message through the base, his consumer base, to understand that hoax is not a reflection of what the Nigerian people are."

Conclusion

The violence in Nigeria, stemming from both terrorist insurgencies and farmer-herder conflicts, has led to real threats of American intervention against a long-standing African partner. While the Nigerian government insists on a non-discriminatory approach to security and acknowledges resource limitations, the U.S. administration, particularly under President Trump, has voiced strong concerns and made direct threats of military action and aid cuts, framing the issue as a failure to protect Christians.