HURIWA Hails Trump for Protecting Nigerian Christians

***Flays Tinubu’s Denial of Religious Killings

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has commended United States President Donald Trump for re-designating Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) over the persecution of Christians, describing the move as “a courageous and moral intervention.”

In a statement issued on Saturday in Abuja, HURIWA’s National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, said the U.S. action validates years of advocacy documenting the systematic killing of Christians across northern and Middle Belt states.

“Trump’s declaration has vindicated our consistent warnings that the killings in Plateau, Benue, Kaduna, Taraba, Niger, Zamfara, and parts of Borno are not random acts of banditry but coordinated genocidal campaigns targeting Christians,” the statement read. “For too long, the Nigerian government has hidden under the excuse of ‘farmer-herder clashes’ to downplay the atrocities.”

Citing data from the International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law (Intersociety), HURIWA said that between May 2023 and October 2025, over 7,000 Christians were killed, 6,500 abducted—including clergymen and seminarians—and more than 1,200 churches destroyed. It faulted what it called the Tinubu administration’s “morally indefensible silence” on the attacks.

The group recalled that Nigeria was first designated a CPC in 2020 under Trump’s earlier administration but was delisted by President Joe Biden in 2021. “The decision to re-list Nigeria confirms that religious persecution has worsened since 2023,” HURIWA said.

It also criticized the Minister of Information, Mohammed Idris, for dismissing reports of Christian genocide as “faulty and misleading.” Onwubiko described the remark as “an insult to the memory of thousands of innocent victims,” citing repeated assaults on communities such as Heipang, Barkin Ladi, Guma, and Kaura.

HURIWA further faulted the Muslim-Muslim composition of Nigeria’s presidency, calling it a “symbolic affront” to the Federal Character principle under Section 14(3) of the 1999 Constitution. It warned that continuing with such arrangements undermines national unity and deepens religious distrust.

“No democratic nation with Nigeria’s diversity should tolerate another Muslim-Muslim presidency,” the group said. “This is not just about religion—it is about fairness, balance, and cohesion. Our leadership structure must reflect our plural identity.”

The association urged the government to prosecute those responsible for religious killings and protect vulnerable Christian communities. It also called on the international community to sustain pressure on Nigeria to meet its human rights obligations.

“Trump has done what conscience demands of every global leader—to speak out against injustice and stand with the oppressed,” HURIWA said. “Now it is left for President Tinubu to act, not deny.”