The Nigerian government has denied allegations that it’s engaging in systematic and egregious religious freedom violations after the US placed the country on a religious freedom blacklist.
The US move comes in the context of Christian groups talking about growing insecurity.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the rare inclusion of a fellow democracy is part of an effort to shame Nigeria into action. It is the second time in a row that Nigeria has been included in the US list.
But in a statement Information Minister Lai Mohammed said the allegation is a case of an honest disagreement between the two nations on the causes of violence in Nigeria.
He said that Nigeria jealously protects religious freedom as enshrined in the country’s constitution and takes any infringements seriously.
The minister explained that victims of insecurity and terrorism in the country are adherents of Christianity, Islam and other religions.
The US has added Nigeria to a list of countries for which Washington is especially concerned about threats to religious freedom.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo didn’t give the reasons for the decision as he announced it, but a State Department report earlier this year pointed to mass detentions of members of a Nigerian Shia group and the arrests in one state of Muslims who were ignoring Ramadan fasting rules.
The US list also includes China, Iran, Pakistan, Myanmar, North Korea and Saudi Arabia.
Countries on the list can face US sanctions if they fail to improve their records on religious freedom.