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The Nigerian House of Representatives has rejected a assertion by the United States Senate describing the country’s information challenges arsenic a ‘genocide against Christians’ oregon state-sponsored persecution.
The lawmakers, connected Wednesday, besides took steps to halt the US projected instrumentality to necessitate the her Secretary of State to designate Nigeria a ‘Country of Particular Concern’ (CPC) and to enforce sanctions connected Nigerian officials nether Executive Order 13818 (Global Magnitsky) and related authorities.
United States Senate had introduced the measure titled the Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act of 2025 (S.2747) connected September 9, 2025.
Consequently, the Nigerian House of Representatives mandated its applicable committees to wrong 21 days coordinate the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Nigerian Embassy successful Washington, D.C. to lodge a ceremonial diplomatic demarche (communication) to the sponsors of the measure and applicable US committees, transmitting empirical information and Nigeria’s authoritative position.
The committees were to besides invitation the US Mission successful Nigeria and funny US legislators to suggest a Nigeria-US Joint Fact-Finding and Dialogue
Mechanism connected state of religion oregon content (FoRB), with information from religion leaders and autarkic experts, and to invitation USCIRF to a hearing/briefing of the House to analyse sources, methodology and remedies.
This was sequel to the adoption of a question of urgent nationalist value sponsored by Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu and different lawmakers astatine plenary.
The motion, titled “Urgent Need for a Coordinated Diplomatic and Domestic Response to the Proposed Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act of 2025 (U.S. Senate Bill S.2747) and to Mischaracterisations of Nigeria’s Security and Religious-Freedom Landscape”, astatine plenary.
Moving the motion, Kalu noted that the US Commission connected International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has successful caller Annual Reports recommended Nigeria for CPC designation, citing persistent violations and authorities failures to support against non-state histrion abuses.
“Recognises that Nigeria’s Constitution guarantees state of thought, conscience and religion and bars adoption of a State religion, and that successive administrations, information agencies, religion leaders and civilian nine proceed to undertake measures to support each worshippers and prosecute offenders, arsenic reflected successful the U.S. Department of State’s 2023 state section and anterior reports.
“Observes that insecurity successful Nigeria is analyzable and multi-causal – driven by insurgency, transgression banditry, farmer-herder conflict, separatist unit and communal disputes – affecting citizens of each faiths; planetary reporting attributes a important stock of fatalities to violent groups and transgression gangs alternatively than State argumentation oregon a azygous spiritual dynamic.
“Concerned that outer legislative actions based connected incomplete oregon decontextualised assessments hazard undermining Nigeria’s sovereignty, misrepresenting facts, straining strategical relations, and unintentionally emboldening convulsive actors.
“Mindful of Nigeria’s longstanding concern with the United States connected counter-terrorism, quality rights, antiauthoritarian governance and inter-faith dialogue, and the African Union’s accent connected tolerance and inclusive societies,” helium stated.
The House, connected adoption of the motion, condemned each forms of unit and persecution against immoderate idiosyncratic oregon radical connected the ground of religion oregon content and commiserated with each victims irrespective of faith.
It, however, rejected outrightly narratives that framework Nigeria’s information situation arsenic a singularly spiritual struggle oregon arsenic State-sponsored persecution and reaffirmed Nigeria’s law protections for state of religion and belief.
The Green Chamber further mandated the Committee connected Legislative Compliance to guarantee execution of the resolutions and to study backmost to the House wrong 28 days.
The House ordered that the solution beryllium transmitted to: the Presidency, Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Heads of Security Agencies; the United States Congress enactment (Senate Foreign Relations; House Foreign Affairs), the U.S. Department of State, and USCIRF; the African Union and ECOWAS Commission, and United Nations (UN).
English (US) ·