By Joy Yesufu
The Presidency said on Saturday that President Bola Tinubu will meet US President Donald Trump in the coming days to discuss allegations of a “Christian genocide” in Nigeria and to deepen cooperation on counter-terrorism.
Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser to the President on Policy Communication, announced the planned talks in a post on X (formerly Twitter), saying the meeting which could take place at either the State House or the White Houset will also be used to “clarify misconceptions about the nature of terrorist attacks in Nigeria.”
“Both President @officialABAT and President @realDonaldTrump have shared interests in the fight against insurgency and all forms of terrorism against humanity,” Mr. Bwala wrote, adding that the two leaders will discuss differences over whether the perpetrators in Nigeria target Christians only or attack people of all faiths.
The announcement follows a series of public allegations from some US lawmakers and media reports insisting that Christians in Nigeria are being systematically targeted.
On October 6, Republican Congressman Riley Moore called on the US State Department to designate Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) over what he described as “systematic persecution and slaughter of Christians.”
Mr. Moore also urged suspension of certain US assistance pending improvements in protection for religious minorities.
On Friday, President Trump declared Nigeria a “country of particular concern” in response to those allegations and posted a strong condemnation on social media—later reposted to Truth Social—warning that the United States could suspend aid and even consider military action if the Nigerian government did not act to stop the killings.
Trump also said he had asked the Pentagon to outline possible options.
The Nigerian Presidency has repeatedly rejected characterisations that the violence amounts to a targeted campaign against Christians.
Mr. Bwala said on Saturday that President Tinubu has made the fight against insurgency a priority and has used US-approved arms supplies to pursue counter-terrorism operations, arguing that Nigeria and the US share converging interests on the matter.
The allegations and the US response have generated intense debate in diplomatic and human-rights circles.
Human-rights groups have documented high levels of communal and terrorist violence in parts of Nigeria, but government officials maintain that the security challenge is complex and affects communities across religious and ethnic lines.
At the time of filing this report, the White House and the US State Department had not issued an official comment on the planned meeting announced by the Nigerian Presidency. It was also unclear when or where the bilateral meeting will take place.
