The United States’ renewed focus on Nigeria’s deepening security crisis, particularly its threat to impose sanctions over the alleged persecution of Christians, is a sobering moment for the Nigerian government, and for all Nigerians. While the federal government and some security experts have dismissed the notion that religious persecution is at the core of the ongoing violence, the mere fact that Nigeria is once again on the brink of being designated a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) by the international community speaks volumes about the government’s chronic failure to secure Nigeria and its people. The US threat, whether misinformed or not, might be the shock therapy Nigeria needs to finally take decisive action against the anarchy that has engulfed large swathes of the country.
It is no secret that Nigeria’s security architecture is overwhelmed. Beyond religion, the stark reality of insecurity is that banditry, terrorism, and communal violence have turned entire regions of the country into war zones, with citizens – Muslims and Christians alike – paying the ultimate price. The argument that the insecurity crisis is not rooted in religious persecution but rather in criminality, poverty, and governance failures is valid. However, what is also undeniable is the government’s systemic inability to curtail these crises effectively.
The US Congress, driven by reports of increased attacks on Christians, has chosen to frame the insecurity as targeted religious persecution. Congress has authorized the imposition of sanctions on Nigeria in response to allegations of widespread persecution of Christians within the country. While specific details regarding the sanctions have not been disclosed, they typically encompass economic sanctions involving restrictions on trade, investment, or financial transactions between the US and Nigerian entities. It could also entail military aid restrictions, with potential limitations or cessation of military assistance and cooperation. Diplomatic sanctions such as visa restrictions on Nigerian officials deemed responsible for or complicit in the alleged persecution, are sanctions intended to pressure the Nigerian government to address and mitigate the reported religious persecution within its borders.
In response, the Nigerian government has responded with its usual rhetoric: denials, counter-accusations, and appeals for the international community to verify facts before taking action; asserting that the violence is not religiously motivated but stems from broader issues of criminality and that the insurgency affects all communities, irrespective of their religious affiliations. But this defensive posture misses the point. Whether the violence is religiously motivated or not, Nigeria has become a graveyard for too many innocent lives, and the government’s inertia has only emboldened the perpetrators.
Former Interior Minister and retired General Abdulrahman Dambazau, among others, has refuted the claim that Christians are being specifically targeted. He insists that Muslims, particularly in the North, bear the brunt of the violence. He is not wrong. The terror wrought by bandits in Zamfara and Katsina, the relentless onslaught of Boko Haram and ISWAP in Borno and Yobe, and the mass displacement of communities across the Northwest have overwhelmingly victimized Muslim populations. However, this does not erase the brutal massacres of Christian communities in Kaduna, Benue, Plateau, and Taraba states. Neither does it negate the targeted abduction and execution of Christian clerics, nor the burning of churches by extremist factions.
Nigeria’s insecurity is not an either-or equation. Both Christians and Muslims are suffering and what matters is that the government has failed both groups. The tragic reality is that criminals, terrorists, and opportunists have exploited religious and ethnic tensions to further their own agendas. This is a problem that cannot be solved by simply dismissing international concerns as “misinformation.” The government must recognize that its continued failure to protect its citizens, regardless of religious affiliation, is what has brought Nigeria to this precarious position in the first place.
Ultimately, the US threat to sanction Nigeria might be a blessing in disguise. There is a pattern in Nigeria’s response to international pressure: only when confronted with external consequences does the government show urgency. The threat of sanctions might finally jolt the Nigerian leadership into implementing meaningful security reforms instead of offering empty assurances. The US designation of Nigeria as a CPC in 2020, later removed in 2021, was a diplomatic embarrassment. A repeat of such a designation, and potential economic or military sanctions, could have more far-reaching consequences, forcing the Nigerian government to confront its failures more seriously than ever before.
If Nigeria wants to avoid this fate, it must go beyond defensive press statements. The government should prioritize intelligence-driven security measures. Nigerian security forces must adopt a more sophisticated approach, emphasizing intelligence gathering and preemptive action rather than reactive, haphazard deployments. Besides, the civilian leadership must enforce accountability in the security apparatus. The culture of impunity within Nigeria’s military and police must end. Officers who fail in their duty to protect citizens, whether due to corruption, incompetence, or negligence, must be held accountable. In addition, the government should adopt a national approach to addressing religious and ethnic tensions. Whether or not insecurity is religiously motivated, the perception of persecution must be addressed. The government must be seen to make an honest effort to engage faith leaders across both Christian and Muslim communities in constructive dialogue and conflict resolution efforts. Most importantly, the authorities must ensure justice for victims across all religious and ethnic Lines. These victims, regardless of faith, deserve justice. The government must make tangible efforts to prosecute the perpetrators of attacks and not allow political expediency to shield them.
These times call for leadership, not puerile defensiveness. Nigeria’s response to the US Congress should not be mere rebuttals and counter-narratives. The more pressing issue is that Nigeria’s security crisis has spiraled out of control, and neither denials nor diplomatic maneuvering will make the problem disappear. If the fear of sanctions is what it takes to spur the government into decisive action, then so be it. The Nigerian people – Christians, Muslims, and others – deserve a country where their lives are not at the mercy of violent extremists and criminals. This is not about religious victimhood; it is about national survival. The Nigerian government must wake up before it is too late.
