Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, has reiterated that Nigeria’s constitution does not tolerate religious persecution, dismissing U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent claims of Christian killings in Nigeria.
Speaking at a press conference in Berlin, Germany, Tuggar said, “It’s impossible for there to be religious persecution supported in any way, shape or form by the government of Nigeria at any level.”
Trump had threatened to consider military intervention over the alleged killing of Christians, saying he had instructed the Pentagon to map out a plan of attack.
But Tuggar emphasized Nigeria’s “constitutional commitment to religious freedom and rule of law,” noting that conflicts in the country affect both Christians and Muslims without discrimination.
He warned against narratives seeking to divide Nigeria along religious lines, drawing parallels with Sudan’s civil crisis.
“What we are trying to make the world understand is that we should not create another Sudan,” Tuggar said. “We’ve seen what happens when partitioning is done along religious or tribal lines—it only deepens the crisis.”
Nigeria has denied claims that Christians are being targeted more than other groups, stressing that acts of violence stem largely from criminality and terrorism, not religious persecution.
