The Presidency on Sunday rejected accusations that Nigeria is religiously intolerant and defended the government’s record on protecting freedom of religion, issuing a formal response after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to halt aid and ordered the Pentagon to prepare for possible military action in the country.

In a statement attributed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Presidency said Nigeria is a democracy governed by constitutional guarantees of religious liberty and that the government has maintained an open and active engagement with Christian and Muslim leaders alike” while addressing security challenges affecting citizens across faiths and regions.

The statement added that the depiction of Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our national reality and affirmed the administration’s commitment to work with the United States and the international community on protecting all faith communities.

“Nigeria stands firmly as a democracy governed by constitutional guarantees of religious liberty.

Since 2023, our administration has maintained an open and active engagement with Christian and Muslim leaders alike and continues to address security challenges which affect citizens across faiths and regions.

The characterisation of Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our national reality, nor does it take into consideration the consistent and sincere efforts of the government to safeguard freedom of religion and beliefs for all Nigerians.

Religious freedom and tolerance have been a core tenet of our collective identity and shall always remain so. Nigeria opposes religious persecution and does not encourage it.

Nigeria is a country with constitutional guarantees to protect citizens of all faiths.

Our administration is committed to working with the United States government and the international community to deepen understanding and cooperation on protection of communities of all faiths.

BOLA AHMED TINUBU
PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA”

The presidential response follows a post by Mr Trump on his social media platform in which he said the United States would immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria and warned that Washington may very well go into that now disgraced country, ‘guns-a-blazing,’ to completely wipe out the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities. Mr Trump said he had instructed the Department of Defense to prepare for possible action, and urged the Nigerian government to move fast. The tone and content of the post drew immediate international attention and alarm.

The escalation came after U.S. officials signalled plans to designate Nigeria as a country of particular concern for alleged violations of religious freedom, a step that could open the way to sanctions or other measures. Nigeria has long faced a complex mix of threats from extremist groups, communal clashes and criminal violence, and Nigerian authorities say security operations and community engagement are ongoing across affected regions.

The Presidency’s statement called for continued cooperation and dialogue, stressing that tackling insecurity requires partnership with foreign governments and international institutions rather than unilateral or military measures.

The Presidency assured that it would continue to safeguard the rights of all Nigerians and pursue diplomatic channels to resolve the dispute.