Nigeria pushes back on Trump’s claims over Christian killings

The Nigerian government has disputed Donald Trump’s claims that the West African nation’s Christians are persecuted, insisting that the country’s constitution guarantees religious freedom.

Nigerian Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar presented a document with the headline “Nigeria’s Constitutional Commitment to Religious Freedom and Rule of Law” at a press conference in Berlin on Tuesday.

“There are no gaps in the answers. As he addressed Germany’s Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, Tuggar said, “This is what guides us.” The government of Nigeria cannot support religious persecution in any way, shape or form, in any way.

Trump earlier said on social media that the US would stop all aid to Nigeria if the government “continues to allow the killing of Christians.” Trump added that Trump had instructed the so-called Department of War to “prepare for possible action.”

Trump also said that Washington could launch airstrikes or deploy troops on Sunday. He claimed that “they are killing a record number of Christians in Nigeria.” We won’t permit that to occur, they say.

The threats came after the US president designated Nigeria as a country of particular concern, a designation that the US government assigns to nations that have committed grave crimes against religious freedom.

Trump’s assertions echoe those made in recent months in evangelical and right-wing circles. A Trump ally, US Senator Ted Cruz laid the blame on Nigerian officials for what he termed “Christian massacres” and signed the Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act of 2025, which, he claimed, aims to hold accountable those responsible for “facilitate Islamic Jihadist violence and the imposition of blasphemy laws.

Nigerian officials refuted Trump’s claims, saying that people of all faiths, not just Christians, are victims of armed groups’ violence despite acknowledging a security issue. According to Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, a Muslim from southern Nigeria who is married to a Christian pastor, “the portrayal of Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our national reality.”

Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa, has a population of 238 million people. According to the Association of Religion Data Archives, about 46% of the population is Muslim, with a majority of its population residing in the north, and about 46% are Christians, with the majority of its population residing in the south.

In the northeast, Boko Haram and other armed groups have clashed for more than ten years, causing millions of people to flee their homes. More than 10, 000 people have died there since Tinubu took office two years ago, according to Amnesty International, pledging stronger security.