By Abba Gwale
The Federal Government of Nigeria has denied the allegation that it engages in religious freedom violations.
On Monday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, announced that the United States has blacklisted Nigeria for “engaging in systematic, ongoing, egregious religious freedom violations”.
Mr Pompeo said that, US will continue to act when “religious freedom is attacked”.
Reacting to Pompeo’s statement on Tuesday, Lai Mohammed, Nigeria’s Minister of Information and Culture, described the allegation as a case of “honest disagreement between the two nations on the causes of violence in Nigeria”.
”Nigeria does not engage in religious freedom violation, neither does it have a policy of religious persecution,” he said.
“Victims of insecurity and terrorism in the country are adherents of Christianity, Islam and other religions.”
The minister said that, Nigeria “jealously protects religious freedom as enshrined in the country’s constitution and takes seriously any infringements in this regard”.
