Fagbemi to US: Nigeria’s Terrorism Problem is Not Religious

Fagbemi to US: Nigeria’s Terrorism Problem is Not Religious

The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, has asserted that Nigeria’s security challenges are not religiously motivated, emphasizing that the government is confronting terrorism through rigorous legal processes and prosecutions.

Fagbemi made the remarks on Tuesday in Abuja following a meeting with a United States delegation led by Congressman Richard Mills and the U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria.

He described the engagement as an opportunity to clarify Nigeria’s position on the terrorism situation, countering what he called widespread misrepresentation.

“This meeting is about the terrorism going on in the country and to afford us the opportunity to explain our own side of the story,” Fagbemi stated. “I’m happy that they are here to see things for themselves. What is important is to also apprise them that even though we have challenges in Nigeria, it is not religious.”

He reported significant progress in terrorism-related prosecutions, noting that from 2017 to 2025, Nigerian courts have secured 860 convictions and 891 acquittals.

“What this speaks to, particularly the discharges, is that we don’t just arrest people and clamp them into prison. We follow due process,” Fagbemi explained.

“Those who have nothing to do with it are left off the hook. Those we believe we have cases against, we take to court, and the court decides. We abide by its decisions.”

The minister added that the U.S. delegation had met with several security agencies, civil society groups, and religious leaders during their visit to form a balanced perspective.

“I want to tell you that things are not as heinous as people are portraying. We have problems in Nigeria. It is not a problem of religion,” he stressed.

Fagbemi’s comments come against the backdrop of heightened U.S. scrutiny over Nigeria’s handling of religious violence. On November 1, U.S. President Donald Trump redesignated Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” over alleged killings of Christians and warned that continued violence could lead to a suspension of U.S. aid and potential military intervention.

Prior to Trump’s statement, several U.S. lawmakers had urged Secretary of State Marco Rubio to take diplomatic action against Nigeria for what they termed “systematic persecution and slaughter of Christians.”

In response, President Bola Tinubu recently approved the Nigerian side of a U.S.-Nigeria Joint Working Group aimed at enhancing bilateral cooperation on security, following talks in Washington led by National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu.

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