The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has written to United States President Donald Trump to refute allegations of targeted killings of Christians in Nigeria.
Keyamo’s message comes just days after President Trump threatened to deploy American military forces to Nigeria ‘with guns a-blazing’ over what he described as the killing of Christians by Islamist groups.
In a letter posted on X on Wednesday, the minister, who described himself as a lawyer of more than three decades of active practice, much of which has been dedicated to activism in the promotion and protection of human rights, stressed that the claims of Christian persecution are without foundation.
He wrote that it would have been “most unconscionable” for him to associate with, let alone accept to serve or continue to serve, a government if there were any truth to the assertion that Christians are specifically targeted in Nigeria for persecution, killings, or harassment on account of their faith, adding that such claims are “simply not true.”
Keyamo emphasized that President Bola Tinubu’s administration is inclusive and committed to national unity, noting that he himself was appointed as Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development alongside other Christians.
He described Tinubu as a known “moderate,” highlighting that the President’s wife is a pastor of one of Nigeria’s largest Pentecostal churches and that most of his children are practicing Christians.
The minister further stressed that the President “will be the last person to either adopt the killing of Christians as a state policy, or to condone such acts or be complicit in them.”
Highlighting Nigeria’s multi-faith identity, Keyamo reminded President Trump that Nigeria is a secular state, whose Constitution explicitly guarantees freedom of religion and prohibits the adoption of a state religion, reflecting the nation’s commitment to coexistence among its diverse faith communities.
Addressing the security challenges facing the country, he explained that the violence experienced in Nigeria is neither new nor driven by religion.
“Just like the US and many countries in the world, we have faced our own fair share of societal violence; ours has been perpetrated by deadly groups known as Boko Haram (now seriously decimated), herdsmen, and cattle rustlers,” he wrote.
He further noted that the government has made significant progress in tackling these threats and stressed the inclusivity of the security leadership, pointing out that most of the security chiefs appointed by the administration are Christians, making it unthinkable to imagine them being complicit in the killing of fellow Christians.
Keyamo also observed that insecurity in some regions has affected adherents of all religions, and the government has consistently acted to protect all citizens without favoritism.
He noted that even political opposition leaders, who would normally oppose the government, have agreed that there is no evidence of targeted killings of Christians in the country.
He appealed to President Trump to seek a broader and more nuanced understanding of Nigeria’s security realities, emphasizing that the Nigerian people are seeking sincere support and cooperation, and urging that the United States government broaden its sources of information in order to gain a balanced view of the situation.
“President Trump, the Nigerian people ask for deep and sincere understanding from your government at this point; the Nigerian people ask for support and cooperation… we ask that you broaden your sources of information at this time so as to get a balanced view of the happenings in Nigeria,” the minister concluded.
