By Abdullahi Mukhtar Algasgaini
Senator Ali Ndume, representing Borno South, has accused the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Senate of negligence, which he claims led to the United States placing Nigeria on its list of “Countries of Particular Concern” for alleged religious persecution.
In a statement issued on Saturday in Abuja, Senator Ndume stated that both the executive and legislative arms failed to act with urgency in addressing the U.S. government’s accusations, ultimately resulting in the designation.
The senator recalled that he had previously sponsored a motion in the Senate calling for an investigation into what he termed the “baseless allegations of Christian genocide,” which later led to a resolution advising the federal government to engage the U.S. government with factual data.
The designation was announced on Friday by former U.S. President Donald Trump via his Truth Social platform, a move subsequently published on the White House’s X account.
The Nigerian government has swiftly denied the allegations, asserting that Trump’s claims do not reflect the reality within the country.
However, Senator Ndume blamed the Tinubu administration and the Senate for failing to take appropriate action since U.S. Representative Riley Moore first raised the issue, before Trump reiterated it.
He advised the government to take immediate steps to confront the U.S. administration with credible evidence that terrorists are killing people without religious discrimination.
“I have told the government before, I even sponsored a motion. Nigeria is a free country; this is not something America should do for us, but a misunderstanding and its political implications are what led to us being placed on this list,” Ndume said.
“We should confront the U.S. government with the true data and statistics. We must get them to listen to the views of the Nigerian government and the Muslim community. Muslims are also being killed. This is not a genocide of Christians; this is a killing of Nigerians in general.”