The Presidency says President Bola Tinubu will meet with his U.S. counterpart, Donald Trump, in the coming days to discuss claims of a Christian genocide in Nigeria.Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser to the President on Policy Communication, disclosed the planned meeting in a post on X on Saturday, following Trump’s recent assertions that the Nigerian government has ignored attacks on Christians. Bwala said the talks will centre on counterterrorism cooperation and clearing up misconceptions about the nature of the attacks in Nigeria.
“Both President @officialABAT and President @realDonaldTrump have shared interests in the fight against insurgency and all forms of terrorism against humanity,” Bwala wrote. “President Trump has assisted Nigeria a lot by authorising the sale of arms, and President Tinubu has adequately utilised that opportunity in the fight against terrorism, with massive results to show for it.
“As for the differences as to whether terrorists in Nigeria target only Christians or all faiths, those would be discussed and resolved by the two leaders when they meet in the coming days, either in the State House or White House.” Trump recently threatened military action against Nigeria and warned that the United States could suspend aid over alleged persecution of Christians. His remarks followed accusations by U.S. lawmaker Riley Moore, who claimed “systematic persecution and slaughter of Christians” in Nigeria and urged that the country be designated a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) and have arms sales suspended — claims the federal government has repeatedly denied.On October 6, Moore urged Secretary of State Marco Rubio to take diplomatic steps and press for Nigeria’s redesignation as a CPC. The matter sparked intense debate over the accuracy of his allegations. In response, on Friday, Trump declared Nigeria a “country of particular concern,” saying, “Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter. I am hereby making Nigeria a ‘country of particular concern.’”
Trump added: “If the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the USA will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria, and may very well go into that now disgraced country, ‘guns-a-blazing,’ to completely wipe out the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities.” He also said he had asked the Pentagon to prepare a possible plan of attack and instructed the Department of War to be ready for possible action. Bwala, however, stressed that both presidents share a commitment to combating insurgency and terrorism and to strengthening cooperation for global peace and security.
Source: https://punchng.com/
