US Congress resolution to sanction Nigeria unjustifiable

The United States Congress has recommended to President Donald Trump to impose stringent sanctions on Nigeria over alleged killing of Christians in the West African nation. This followed a resolution by the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa after a congressional hearing on Wednesday, March 12. At Wednesday’s hearing, the Committee Chairman, Rep. Chris Smith […]

The United States Congress has recommended to President Donald Trump to impose stringent sanctions on Nigeria over alleged killing of Christians in the West African nation.

This followed a resolution by the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa after a congressional hearing on Wednesday, March 12.

At Wednesday’s hearing, the Committee Chairman, Rep. Chris Smith highlighted testimony from a witness, Bishop Wilfred Anagbe of the Diocese of Makurdi, Nigeria.

According to him, Anagbe’s testimony was “compelling and disturbing”. Anagbe was said to have accused “militant Fulani herdsmen’’ of stealing, killing and kidnapping the local populace.

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The committee also cited a 2024 report by the Observatory for Religious Freedom in Africa, which stated that Nigerians account for 90 per cent of all Christians killed worldwide each year.

According to the report, no fewer than 55,910 people were killed and 21,000 others abducted by terrorist groups operating in the region between October 2019 and September 2023.

Smith blamed the previous administration of Joe Biden for removing Nigeria from the list of Country of Particular Concern (CPC), which was first imposed during President Trump’s first term.

 In its reaction, the federal government dismissed the claims. The Special Adviser on Policy Communication to the President, Daniel Bwala, in a statement, emphasised that the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration promotes religious tolerance and has recorded little to no cases of Christian persecution since assuming office on May 29, 2023.

While refuting the claim, Bwala also questioned the context and accuracy of the report presented by the U.S. congressional committee.

“While we are in no way admitting or authenticating the report of the U.S. Foreign Relations Committee, it is noteworthy to state that the committee’s report falls short of context and timelines,” he added.

But responding to the allegations, the Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria (SCSN) and the Muslim Public Affairs Centre (MPAC) berated Bishop Anagbe, for spreading falsehood abroad on alleged  Islamisation and killing of Christians in Nigeria.

In separate statements by Dr. Nafiu Baba-Ahmad, SCSN Secretary General and Disu Kamor, Executive Chairman of MPAC, the organisations asked the federal government to investigate and prosecute the bishop for his action to cause crisis in the country.

The SCSN scribe, however, said that the Catholic priest briefing before the U.S. Congress, in which he propagated hateful rhetoric and blatant falsehoods, is not only an embarrassment to the Nigerian government but also a matter of deep concern for its law-abiding citizens, both Muslims and Christians.

Dr. Baba-Ahmad said the bishop’s claim that “2% of Fulani (Islamists) have taken over lands occupied by 98% Christians” is also false.

Similarly, Kamor said that Bishop Anagbe’s testimony contains many unsubstantiated allegations and dangerous claims.

We at Daily Trust believe the resolution by the US Congress is nothing short of injustice to Nigeria and Nigerians. It is surprising that the decision was arrived at after listening to just one side.  This is also when the US has an embassy in Nigeria, which should be the right channel to get information on the issue, rather than relying on unsubstantiated rhetoric of a single person whose main goal is to cause disaffection.

Indeed, the resolution is only capable of creating disharmony among Nigerians as it alienates a section of the populace. What Nigeria requires from a country such as the United State is an understanding of the current security situation in the country, which requires the input of Nigeria’s allies to bring it to an end. We recall that over the years, different US administrations have pledged their assistance to see to the end of these security challenges.

We, therefore, strongly urged President Donald Trump to ignore the resolution and continue to provide assistance to Nigeria to resolve the numerous security challenges facing the country.

We are also surprised that the federal government did not take proactive measures to protect the interest of the country in this matter. It is sad that we just reacted to the issue after a decision had been taken.

Our diplomats need to be alert to their responsibilities to ensure that Nigeria’s interest is not jeopardised under any circumstance.

This is not the first time Nigeria was put under this unnecessary and unjustifiable scrutiny and we should not allow it to continue. It is time for our foreign ministry to ensure it does not happen again.

It is equally sad that a clergyman of that standing would go out of his way to dent the image of his country by presenting totally twisting facts on the ground. He deserves to be invited to explain to the appropriate agency on his motive.

Also, while we don’t want to go into details, we strongly believe that facts are sacred! And what is obvious is that since the Boko Haram insurgency went out of hand in 2010, and the subsequent banditry and farmer/herder conflicts in the North West and North Central parts of the country, thousands of innocent souls from across the divide have been massacred.

As Nigerians, we must coalesce into a single force to liberate our country from the shackles of insecurity being orchestrated by self-centred interests. There would be no enduring solutions from outside Nigeria.

Finally, we must not allow individuals or groups under whatever guise to denigrate Nigeria’s image for their egoistic end.