Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, has stated that the federal government now treats any violence driven by religious motives as an assault on the nation itself, reinforcing its commitment to protect all faiths.
Gatekeepers News reports that Ribadu made the declaration on January 22 at the end of a meeting in Abuja between Nigerian officials and a high-level United States delegation from the joint Nigeria-US working group on security and religious freedom.
According to Ribadu, Nigeria is a diverse country where safeguarding Christians, Muslims, and others is non-negotiable, and violence framed along religious lines threatens national unity and stability.
The working group was set up after the United States designated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern due to concerns about religious freedom violations, and the talks covered ways to deter violence against vulnerable communities, strengthen investigations into attacks, and hold perpetrators accountable.
Ribadu highlighted growing cooperation between Nigeria and the United States in counter-terrorism efforts, saying security engagements have shifted from discussion to action with measurable results.
He also thanked the US for delivering military support equipment like drones and helicopters procured over the past five years.
Under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s leadership, Nigeria has intensified military and law enforcement operations in high-risk areas and expanded intelligence coordination to better protect communities targeted by armed groups.
The United States side, led by Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker, said the meeting aimed to expand joint efforts to reduce killings, kidnappings, forced displacements, and attacks on Christian communities, especially in northern and central regions where recent mass church abductions have increased international concern.
