Nigeria does not violate religious freedom and terrorists are not targeting Christians as a group, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said in a CNN interview on Tuesday night.
Idris called recent reports, including comments by some foreign officials, “misleading and based on faulty data,” arguing that violence in Nigeria cuts across faiths. “Yes, there are Christians being attacked, but these criminals do not just target one religion,” he said in a statement released Wednesday, October 29, 2025, by his media aide, Rabiu Ibrahim. “They target Christians, and they also target Muslims, especially in the northern part of the country.”
“Crime isn’t a creed.”
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What we know
The minister warned that framing insecurity as a religious conflict helps extremists divide citizens. “Characterising it as attacks on Christians will drive Nigeria toward division. The criminals want to portray the country as if there is a fight between Christians and Muslims,” he said. He maintained that Nigeria guarantees freedom of religion under the constitution and cautioned that false narratives of persecution deepen mistrust. “It is wrong to characterize Nigeria as a country that does not tolerate religious freedom, and it is also wrong to say that everywhere is unsafe. Nigeria is indeed a safe country.”
Insecurity
Acknowledging ongoing security challenges, Idris said the Tinubu administration is intensifying both military and developmental responses to protect lives and property. Since 2009, Nigeria has faced violent extremism, he noted, but the last two years have brought “renewed momentum and determination” to defeat it. “There has been renewed focus and attention to ensure that Nigeria becomes safe,” he said, citing major spending on military hardware along with investments in agriculture and social services to support non-kinetic approaches.
Idris added that recent changes in the military hierarchy form part of President Tinubu’s broader reforms to strengthen national security. “Even the recent changes of service chiefs are geared toward ensuring that government responds effectively to every situation,” he said.
