President Bola Tinubu on Friday met with the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’adu Abubakar, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja — days after holding a similar meeting with the Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, Bishop Ignatius Ayau Kaigama.
The meeting, which took place in the first-floor office of the President, was said to be part of wide consultations Tinubu is having with religious and traditional leaders in the wake of the United States President, Donald Trump.
Trump had described Nigeria as a country of religious persecution and human rights abuses.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, accompanied the Sultan to the “crucial” meeting.
President Tinubu’s meeting with Archbishop Kaigama earlier in the week was also held at the State House, as part of what sources described as the President’s efforts to engage key faith leaders amid growing international attention on Nigeria’s religious and human rights record.
Earlier, the Nigerian government rejected the characterisation as a ‘country of particular concern’ and pushed back against claims that the violence amounts to targeted genocide, saying the country’s constitution protects all faiths and that security challenges affect communities across religious lines.
Last Friday, President Trump announced that, in response to claims of genocide against Christians in Nigeria, he had redesignated the country as a “Country of Particular Concern.” He made the announcement on his Truth Social platform, writing:
“Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter. I am hereby making Nigeria a ‘COUNTRY OF PARTICULAR CONCERN’ — But that is the least of it,” he wrote.
He went on to say the U.S. may conduct a military operation in the country if ‘killings of Christians’ continue.
The development comes as former Governor of Bayelsa State and serving Senator, Seriake Dickson, expressed support for U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent comments on the mass killings in Nigeria, describing Trump’s position as “a wake-up call to action.”
In a statement titled “Alleged Genocide: My Stance On President Trump’s Statement,” and issues on Thursday, Dickson emphasized that while Nigeria’s sovereignty must be respected, the country must also embrace global partnerships to combat terrorism and restore peace.
The senator, who represents Bayelsa West, recounted how terrorist groups such as Boko Haram, ISWAP, ISIS, al-Qaeda, and others have “wreaked unimaginable havoc” across Nigeria for nearly 15 years.
Dickson lamented that both Christians and Muslims had been victims of the violence. “Places of worship — both churches and mosques, as well as palaces and traditional rulers have not been spared in their bloodbath. School children have been kidnapped, killed, or forcefully married off,” he said, adding that the whereabouts of Leah Sharibu and several Chibok girls remain unknown.
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