FG says diplomatic rift with US over alleged Christian killings ‘largely resolved’

The Federal Government says the recent diplomatic tension between Nigeria and the United States, triggered by comments from US President Donald Trump over alleged killings of Christians, has been largely resolved.

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, made this known on Monday during a year-end news conference in Abuja, saying the issue was addressed through firm and respectful diplomatic engagement.

“The recent diplomatic spat with the United States has been largely resolved through a firm, respectful engagement culminating in a strengthened partnership between America and Nigeria,” Idris said.

President Trump had, in October and November, issued strong statements accusing Nigeria of allowing what he described as an “existential threat” and “genocide” against Christians, even threatening possible military intervention.

While some observers welcomed Washington’s intervention, others warned that such statements risked inflaming religious tensions in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, which has a history of sectarian violence.

Nigeria’s government and several independent analysts have consistently rejected the framing of the country’s security challenges as religious persecution. They argue that the narrative, often advanced by conservative Christian groups in the United States and Europe, as well as Nigerian separatist lobbyists abroad, oversimplifies Nigeria’s complex security situation.

Idris’s remarks followed Nigeria’s hosting of a United States congressional delegation earlier this month, a visit seen as part of efforts to ease diplomatic strain.

Despite the improved engagement, Nigeria remains on Washington’s list of countries of “particular concern” over alleged religious freedom violations. The country was also among those recently affected by new visa and immigration restrictions announced by the Trump administration.

However, signs of enhanced security cooperation have emerged. Analysts report an uptick in US reconnaissance flights over known jihadist strongholds in Nigeria’s forests.

Nigeria continues to grapple with multiple security crises, including a prolonged jihadist insurgency in the north-east, widespread banditry and kidnappings in the north-west, and recurrent clashes between herders and farmers in the country’s central region. Experts note that these conflicts are driven largely by competition over land, resources and criminality rather than religion, with both Muslim and Christian civilians often affected.

The Information Minister also defended a recent $2.1 billion US aid package, which Washington said would place strong emphasis on supporting Christian faith-based healthcare providers.

“Every Nigerian is going to be a beneficiary of this arrangement,” Idris said, insisting that the aid would be deployed in a manner that serves the broader population, regardless of religious affiliation.