US Under Secretary: Nigerian Govt Must Do More to Protect Christians

Chuks Okocha,  Michael Olugbode, Adedayo Akinwale, Linus Aleke in Abuja and John Shiklam in Kaduna

The United States Under Secretary for Political Affairs, Allison Hooker, yesterday, said the Nigerian Gov-ernment must do more to protect the Christians and guarantee their right to practise their faith freely and safely.

This latest position followed concerns that the US has expressed over recent reports that gunmen ab-ducted more than 170 Christians in Kaduna State on January 18, across three churches.

This was as the United States President Donald Trump has boasted that American forces were “annihi-lating terrorists who are killing Christians” in Nigeria, claiming the militants had “killed thousands and thousands of Christians.”

At the same time, President Bola Tinubu, has again declarednational security emergencies in vulnerable and high-risk areas across the country.

Speaking in Abuja at the inauguration of the US–Nigeria Joint Working Group, Hooker said the partner-ship between the USand Nigeria was built on shared interests spanning trade and investment, security, energy, and regional stability.

He recalled that on October 31, 2025, Trump had designated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Con-cern, but that the two countries had since made significant progress in working together to better pro-tect vulnerable communities.

“I am here today to continue and broaden that partnership,” he said, adding that discussions would fo-cus on deterring violence against Christian communities, prioritising counter-terrorism and insecurity, investigating attacks and holding perpetrators accountable, and reducing killings, forced displacement, and abductions, particularly in the North-Central states.

US Forces ‘Annihilating’ Terrorists in Nigeria, TrumpDeclares

United States President Donald Trump has asserted that American forces were “annihilating terrorists who were killing Christians” in Nigeria, claiming the militants had “killed thousands and thousands of Christians.”

Trump said, “Many good things are happening. In Nigeria, we are annihilating terrorists, who are killing Christians. We’ve hit them very hard. They’ve killed thousands and thousands of Christians.”

He made the remarks during the Board of Peace signing ceremony on the sidelines of the World Eco-nomic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, while discussing what he described as progress in global peace and security efforts.

Trump underscored the importance of the newly unveiled initiative, saying, “What we’re doing is so im-portant. This is something I really wanted to be here and do, and I could think of no better place.”

He also addressed developments in the Middle East, particularly Gaza, insisting the territory must be demilitarised and rebuilt.

“Gaza has to be demilitarised and rebuilt nicely,” he said, warning militant groups to disarm. “If Hamas doesn’t do what they promised, they must lay down arms, or it’ll end them. They grew up with rifles.”

Trump linked both the Middle East and Nigerian security situations to the work of the Board of Peace, which he said was attracting growing international interest.

Regarding the composition of the new peace body, he added:“Everybody wants to be on the Board of Peace. These are just the countries here now; loads more will join.”

Tinubu Beefs Up Security in Weak Villages After Kidnap of 172 Kaduna Worshippers

Voicing the president’s directive, the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, said Tinubu has authorised intensified joint security operations and ordered the sustained deployment of security forces to priority locations, particularly communities facing recurrent attacks on civilians and religious groups.

Ribadu stressed that the decisions were not merely policy statements but being matched with concrete action on the ground.

The NSA noted that Nigeria was expanding its early-warning and rapid-response mechanisms, while also developing a national database to serve as a single, authoritative source of accurate and verifiable data on deaths and casualties resulting from violent incidents.

According to him, the initiative would strengthen evidence-based decision-making, enhance accounta-bility, and improve the overall effectiveness of security responses nationwide.

“Alongside these efforts, investigations and prosecutions relating to attacks on religious communities have been intensified to ensure that violence is met not only with force, but with justice and accounta-bility,” Ribadu said.

He emphasised that Nigeria’s plural character made the protection of all citizens non-negotiable.

“Nigeria is a deeply plural society, and the protection of all citizens—Christians, Muslims, and those of other beliefs—is fundamental. Violence framed along religious lines is treated as an attack on the Nige-rian state itself,” he noted.

Ribadu added that government’s response integrates security operations, the rule of law, humanitarian safeguards, and strategic communication, ensuring that operational successes translate into public con-fidence and stronger social cohesion.

“We want Nigerians to know that this partnership is working; that it is delivering tangible gains, and that our collective efforts will continue to yield positive results,” he said.

The NSA further argued that progress should be assessed not by isolated incidents within a complex security environment, but by the overall direction of travel, decisions taken at the highest levels of gov-ernment, and the institutional capacity being built to prevent, respond to, and punish violence wherev-er it occured.

He also highlighted that Nigeria’s partnership with the United States extended beyond security coopera-tion butincluded democratic resilience, respect for the rule of law, regional stability in West Africa, and a shared commitment to preventing extremist and malign actors from exploiting governance gaps or so-cial divisions.

Ribadu said the federal government remained open to refining its approaches, strengthening coopera-tion, and ensuring that the Joint Working Group remained focused on outcomes rather than labels, long-term progress rather than snapshots, and partnership rather than perception.

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said the bilateral engagement reflected not only a shared commitment to religious freedom and civilian protection, but also a mature strategic relationship founded on trust, candour, and shared responsibility.

He also noted that. the cooperation between the US and Nigeria—spanning military, intelligence, and security collaboration—has delivered tangible operational gains.

These included enhanced intelligence sharing and closer coordination between U.S. AFRICOM and Nige-ria’s military across multiple theatres of operation, including the North-East under Operation Hadin Kai and Operation Fasan Yamma.

Idris added that the US has committed to the timely delivery of outstanding military equipment such as drones, helicopters, platforms, spare parts, and associated support systems procured over the past five years.

He said the US has also indicated its readiness to support Nigeria through the provision of surplus de-fence equipment.

Abbas Urged Security Agencies to Rescue Kaduna Worshippers, Apprehend Suspects

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, has called on the security agencies to rescue the about 172 worshippers recently abducted by suspected terrorists and apprehend the sus-pects.

The Speaker, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Musa Krishi, condemned the attack on the churches and bemoaned the recent mass kidnappings in parts of the country.

Abbas lamented that soft targets like schools and places of worship have been attacked in recent times.

Abbas, who restated his confidence in the President Bola Tinubu administration to reverse the trend, called for collective efforts towards making Nigeria a safe place for people, property, and businesses.

He commended the courage of the Governor of Kaduna State, Senator Uba Sani, for providing the need-ed leadership at the sub-national level at this critical time, noting that Kaduna has witnessed relative peace since the governor assumed office in May 2023.

He said the governor’s visit to the Kurmin Wali community on Wednesday was a testament to his com-mitment and determination to secure the people’s lives and property in the state.

ADC to FG: Stop Denying Security Hitches

The African Democratic Congress (ADC), has condemned the failed attempt by the Kaduna State Gov-ernment and the Nigeria Police Force of the mass abduction to cover upweekend’s abduction of wor-shippers.

The party described the attempt as part of the APC government’s preoccupation with hiding the truth in order to look good.

In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC criticised the federal government’s stone silence on this latest abduction of Christian worshippers, describing it as a sign of fatigue.

The ADC also expressed grave concern over the attempt by the Kaduna State Government and the Ni-geria Police Force to cover up the mass abduction of Nigerians in three churches in Kajuru Local Gov-ernment Area of Kaduna State, an incident that was later confirmed by the same authorities after pub-lic outcry.

“This episode raises a fundamental and dangerous question for our country: can a government whose first instinct is to withhold information and hide the truth be trusted to protect lives and improve secu-rity?” it asked.

The ADC said the deliberate denial of a verified mass abduction is not a communications error, rather, it said, ‘’It is the behaviour of a government obsessed with looking good rather than solving problems.

‘’In moments of violence and emergency, truth is the first line of defence. It guides response, enables rescue, mobilises communities, and reassures a frightened public. However, when a government choos-es silence or falsehood, it compounds danger, delays action, and deepens trauma.

‘’A government that lies during a security crisis does not merely fail its people; it actively places them at further risk,’’ ADC stated.

The party said that credible reports that journalists, civil society actors, and independent observers were prevented from accessing affected communities made people wonder what exactly the govern-ment was attempting to hide.

SMBLF Seeks Sanctions against Police Boss, Security Commissioner, Council Chairman

The Southern and Middle Belt Leadership Forum (SMBLF), has demanded punitive measures against the Kaduna State Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Rabiu, the Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Sule Shu’aibu SAN, and the Chairman of Kajuru Local Government Area, Madaki Dauda, accusing them of deliberately attempting to conceal the abduction of over 172persons during coordinated attacks on three churches in thestate.

The Forum said the alleged denial of the incident by the officials created a dangerous vacuum that weakened rescue operations and allowed the attackers to escape with their captives.

In a statement, SMBLF said the conduct of the affected officials amounted to a serious breach of public trust and contributed to the worsening insecurity in Southern Kaduna.

The statement was jointly signed by the Leader of SMBLF and Afenifere, HRM Oba Oladipo Olaitan; President of the Middle Belt Forum, Dr Bitrus Pogu; President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Senator John Azuta Mbata;and National Chairman of PANDEF, Ambassador Godknows Igali.

“What has further compounded this atrocity is the irresponsible and shocking public denial of the mass kidnapping by the Kaduna State Commissioner of Internal Security and Home Affairs, Sule Shu’aibu (SAN); the Kaduna State Commissioner of Police, CP Mohammed Rabiu; and the Chairman of Kajuru Local Government Council, Mr. Madaki Dauda.

“The SMBLF views this conduct not merely as a betrayal of public trust, but as a grave act of incompe-tence that undermined rescue efforts, emboldened the criminals, and gave the kidnappers valuable time to relocate their captives to remote terror enclaves,” the statement said.

The forum called on relevant authorities to take decisive disciplinary action against the officials “for de-liberately misleading the public, obstructed emergency response, or sought to trivialise the suffering of victims.”

SMBLF noted that, “the Kurmin Wali attack once again exposed the failure of Kaduna State’s policy of granting concessions to armed groups, insisting that the tragedy validated its opposition to the state’s amnesty programme for bandits.”

The group described the programme as morally offensive and strategically flawed, arguing that it was unacceptable for the state to provide free medical treatment, educational opportunities for the children of terrorists, and skills acquisition programmes to perpetrators of violence who had not surrendered their weapons, while victims were left with trauma, displacement, and economic hardship.

The statement further lamented that the absence of security presence in many Southern Kaduna com-munities had left residents vulnerable.

It therefore called on the federal government to deploy military and intelligence assets without delay to ensure the safe recovery of those abducted in Kurmin Wali.

In the same vein, the Adara Development Association (ADA), an umbrella body for the for Adara ethnic nationality, has demanded a public apology from Rabiu, and Madaki, over their denial of the abduction of 172worshippers.

In a statement, the President of ADA, Chief Sebastine Barde, alleged that the Commissioner of Police and the council Chairman visited the community and got first hand information from residents, only to later deny that nobody was abducted.

He accused them of deliberately suppressing the truth and presented what he described as “a mislead-ing and painful narrative that no abduction took place.”

He said, rather than acknowledge the gravity of the situation, both officials publicly dismissed verified reports as rumours allegedly propagated by so called conflict entrepreneurs.

He described their actions as unfortunate, noting that it was regrettably the council chairman, an indi-gene of the area, could aligned himself with those who attempted to cover up the tragedy.

Barde said the conduct of the Police commissioner and the council chairman contrasted sharply with the public statements and disposition of Governor Uba Sani.

“Their actions reflected those of overzealous officials who should be firmly reprimanded and called to order.Consequently, the ADA is demanding that the Commissioner of Police and the Chairman of Kajuru Local Government issue a public apology to the Adara people for deliberately suppressing the truth”, the statement said.

Attacks Spark Fresh Calls for Community-Based Forest Guards

The Northern Christian Youth Professionals (NCYP) have condemned the recent attack on worshippers, describing the incident as a stark reminder of the security gaps in forest-bordering communities across northern Nigeria.

In a statement, NCYP said the incident underscored the urgent need for a functional and community-driven Forest Guard system.

The group argued that if local residents had been trained and deployed as part of a forest security structure, the attack could have been prevented or at least disrupted through early warning and coor-dination with security agencies.

“The ease with which the attackers operated raises serious questions about the current security frame-work in forest communities,” the group said, noting that criminal groups often exploited the absence of local resistance to carry out kidnappings and attacks.

While acknowledging the efforts of Tinubu and Sani to address insecurity, the group in the statement signed by its Chairman, Isaac Abrak, maintained that recent events showed the need to strengthen ex-isting strategies, referencing the federal government’s approval of a Forest Guard initiative.

It however stressed that its success depended on the inclusion of indigenous community members who understood the terrain and lived permanently in affected areas.