President Donald Trump has again been called upon to move against the Nigerian government as its military forces “simply stand by as militant Fulani Muslim herdsmen assault their Christian neighbors in the nation’s Middle Belt. The latest call was made by the New York Post.
The newspaper, in its editorial, charged the U.S. president to “act” and “call out the deadly persecution of Nigerian Christians”.
“Government forces do battle Boko Haram and other Islamist terror groups that brutally terrorise Christians and non-Christians in northern Nigeria, but they simply stand by as militant Fulani Muslim herdsmen assault their Christian neighbors in the nation’s Middle Belt,” the publication stated.
The editorial said “Team Trump should act on its own”, albeit Senator Ted Cruz’s push for a law that sanctions Nigerian officials who facilitate or permit jihadist attacks against Christians and other religious minorities. The publication noted that since 2009, the “persecution” of Christians has resulted in 18,000 churches destroyed, 50,000 Christians murdered, and five million more displaced.
“It’s not Washington’s job to right all the world’s wrongs, but Uncle Sam can at least condemn these ongoing atrocities,” said the newspaper.
Some U.S. lawmakers have condemned the killings of Christians in Nigeria, describing them as “genocide”. The Christian Association of Nigeria confirmed the killings as such.
Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu’s government has continued to deny the claim.
“Let me also say this clearly, Nigeria is a proud, sovereign nation built on the faith and resilience of its people. Here, no faith is under siege, no community is excluded,” stated the Nigerian president. “Our churches, mosques, and traditional shrines stand side by side—not as rivals, but as symbols of the unity that binds us.
Mr Tinubu added, “We must never allow outsiders to tell us who we are or sow division among us. We are Nigerians, and we will stand together. Nigeria will not accept lectures from those who seek to profit from our divisions. No one loves this country more than Nigerians themselves, and no one will define us except us.”
