More drama keeps unfolding by the day since President Donald Trump slammed Nigeria with the tag of Country of Particular Concern (CPC) –meant for nations with severe violations of religious freedom –and threatened US military action to rout terrorists killing Christians in the country.
In the latest drama, one of two Congressmen that Trump instructed to investigate the matter further and report back to him, Rep Riley Moore, has accused former Kano State governor, Engr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, of playing a complicit role in the alleged death of Christians. His statement followed Kwankwaso’s reaction to Trump’s threat.
Kwankwaso was governor when Sharia law was implemented in November 2000 in Kano.
The developments came as China, a principal trading partner of Nigeria, said it opposed the planned US military action in Nigeria.
Posting on social media, Rep Moore queried Kwankwaso’s religious tolerance record as governor, writing: “Governor, do you care to comment on your own complicity in the death of Christians? You instituted Sharia law. You signed the law that makes so-called blasphemy punishable by death.”
Earlier, while reacting to Trump’s military proposal, Kwankwaso had, in a statement, cautioned the US against taking unilateral action, describing Nigeria as a sovereign nation struggling with security threats that cut across religious and ethnic lines.
He had stated: “The insecurity we face does not distinguish based on religious, ethnic, or political beliefs,” urging the US to support Nigeria through advanced technology and diplomacy rather than threats of military action.
Furthermore, he noted a gaping hole in Nigeria’s diplomatic architecture and called on the Federal Government (FG) to appoint special envoys and ambassadors to engage Washington constructively, insisting on unity over division among Nigerians.
Apparently undeterred, Rep Moore pledged to pursue investigations into what he described as “genocide against Christians” in Nigeria.
Speaking to Fox News, he said Trump would soon receive policy recommendations on possible US responses to the alleged killings.
“We are going to get right to work and give President Trump a full menu of options to stop these killings,” he said.
Recall that through his Truth Social account, Trump had on Saturday redesignated Nigeria as a CPC, accusing “radical Islamists” of targeting Christians.
He posted: “Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter,” warning that the US could “go in guns a-blazing” if Nigeria failed to act quickly to eliminate the terrorists.
Waving off Trump’s position on the matter, the FG insisted that Nigeria is committed to protecting the rights of all citizens regardless of faith.
President Bola Tinubu reaffirmed Nigeria’s constitutional guarantee of religious freedom and stressed that his administration continues to engage religious leaders to foster national unity.
“The portrayal of Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our national reality,” Tinubu said, adding that his government remains dedicated to ensuring peace and coexistence across all regions and faiths.
Pledging its solid backing to the President Tinubu administration, China insisted that it was behind Nigeria.
Addressing a press conference today, spokesperson of China’s Foreign Ministry, Mao Ning, said China firmly opposes any country using religion and human rights as an excuse to interfere in other countries’ internal affairs, and threatening other countries with sanctions and force.
Ning was answering a question on Trump’s threat of military action in Nigeria.
“As Nigeria’s comprehensive strategic partner, China firmly supports the Nigerian government in leading its people on the development path suited to its national conditions.
“China firmly opposes any country using religion and human rights as an excuse to interfere in other countries’ internal affairs, and threatening other countries with sanctions and force,” Ning said.
Presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, shared China’s reaction on his X today.
*PHOTO CAPTION: Tinubu and Trump.
