'Not a Religious War': FG Makes Strong Statement on Insecurity in Nigeria Amid US' Intervention
- Minister of Information Mohammed Idris urged Nigerians to reject attempts to frame the country's security crisis as a religious conflict
- Idris spoke after the US military delivered equipment to the Nigerian Air Force under a foreign military sales agreement to boost counter-terrorism efforts
- The minister's statement comes against the backdrop of claims in 2025 by US President Donald Trump that Christians were being persecuted in Nigeria
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Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over four years of experience covering security issues and counterinsurgency in Nigeria and across Africa.
FCT, Abuja - Mohammed Idris, minister of information and national orientation, has called on citizens to push back against any narrative that frames the country's ongoing security crisis as a conflict rooted in religion.
Legit.ng reports that Idris made his position clear in a statement posted on his verified X (formerly Twitter) account on Thursday night, September 10, 2026.
Source: Getty Images
Federal government rejects religious war narrative
He wrote:
"We must continue to resist those who seek to portray Nigeria's security challenge as a religious war. It is not a religious war. The terrorists and criminal groups who carry out attacks against Nigerians do so targeting all faiths, and we must continue to stand united against them."
The minister also highlighted recent security gains, citing the elimination of hundreds of terrorists and bandits, as well as the rescue of abducted citizens across different parts of the country, as evidence of the federal government's resolve.
"The Federal Government under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will not relent in its efforts to protect Nigerians of all faiths, by strengthening security coordination, improving intelligence gathering, and prioritising the welfare and morale of our Armed Forces and other security agencies," he added.
"We will not be divided, and we will never be defeated."
Nigeria gets US military equipment
The minister's remarks carry particular weight given the international attention Nigeria's security situation has attracted.
In 2025, United States President Donald Trump threatened military action against Nigeria, citing what he described as the persecution of Christians in the country. Nigerian officials and security experts rejected those claims, noting that armed groups such as Boko Haram and al-Qaeda-linked organisations have consistently targeted Nigerians across religious lines.
Source: Twitter
The statement also came hours after the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) announced that American military equipment had been delivered to the Nigerian Air Force.
AFRICOM disclosed in a post on X on Thursday, September 10, that the equipment arrived over the preceding weekend aboard a US Air Force C-17 aircraft, under a foreign military sales agreement between Washington and Abuja. The delivery, AFRICOM said, was intended to deepen the partnership between the two nations and strengthen Nigeria's ability to combat terrorism in the region.
Idris framed the government's approach as one built on unity across ethnic and religious communities, arguing that a divided population would only benefit those carrying out attacks.
Read Idris' full statement on Nigeria's security crisis below via the X post:
Read more on insecurity in Nigeria
- US interference: Ex-military head of state breaks silence on what Donald Trump must do to Nigeria
- The Country of Particular Concern 'trap': What the US Senate got wrong about Nigeria’s crisis
- List of killed Imams and mosques attacked by bandits that led to significant loss of lives
Terrorists kidnap, kill 106 health workers
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that armed groups, criminal kidnappers, and terrorists abducted 91 health workers and killed 15 others across 101 separate attacks on Nigerian healthcare facilities between 2023 and 2025, according to a new international report.
The figures come from the 'Care in the Crosshairs: Violence Against Health Care in Conflict 2025' report, published by the Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition. The data was compiled using Insecurity Insight’s global monitoring system and covers incidents recorded over the three-year period.
Source: Legit.ng
