By Obinna Uballa
Nigeria’s National Security Adviser (NSA) and the country’s top security chiefs are expected to brief the media later today in Abuja, following United States President Donald Trump’s explosive allegation of “genocide against Christians” in Nigeria.
The development was announced by the Director-General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Lanre Issa-Onilu, during the monthly National Joint Security Press Briefing on Monday.
Issa-Onilu said the high-level briefing would “provide an adequate response to the allegations of genocide” and offer updates on the government’s ongoing operations to tackle insecurity and other criminal activities nationwide.
The planned address comes amid global reactions to Trump’s statement on Truth Social last Saturday, in which he accused the Nigerian government of allowing mass killings of Christians and threatened to send U.S. troops to intervene.
“If the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the USA will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria, and may very well go into that now disgraced country, ‘guns-a-blazing,’” Trump had declared.
The remarks provoked widespread outrage across diplomatic and political circles, with the Nigerian government swiftly dismissing the claim as false and dangerous.
President Bola Tinubu, in a statement via his official X handle, reaffirmed Nigeria’s status as a secular democracy that upholds freedom of religion for all citizens.
“Nigeria stands firmly as a democracy governed by constitutional guarantees of religious liberty,” Tinubu said, adding that his administration has maintained “an open and active engagement with Christian and Muslim leaders alike” to address security challenges affecting citizens of all faiths.
Rejecting foreign narratives portraying Nigeria as religiously intolerant, the President said such claims were inconsistent with the country’s diverse and inclusive reality.
“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,” Tinubu noted.
Reaffirming national unity, he added that “religious tolerance has been a core tenet of our collective identity and shall always remain so,” pledging deeper cooperation with the United States and other international partners to promote mutual understanding and protect all communities.
The upcoming briefing by the NSA and security chiefs is expected to shed more light on the government’s position, outline ongoing counterterrorism measures, and address the broader implications of Trump’s remarks for Nigeria-U.S. relations.
