United States Ambassador to Nigeria Richard Mills has cautioned against labeling terrorist attacks in the country as religious, contending that victims of violence and insurgency cut across religious affiliations, ethnic backgrounds, and geographical locations.
During an interview with journalists in Abuja, Mills described every death as “absolutely unfortunate,” further stating that terrorism does not recognize religion or tribe.
“Those who are cognizant of the landscape understand that terrorism is neither religious nor ethnic. People from all stations of life and religion are victims of it. Indeed, Boko Haram and ISIS have killed more Muslims than Christians,” he asserted. “Any death is one too many, and we must come together to stop it.”
His comment comes in the wake of new controversy over religious violence in Nigeria, following U.S. Senator Ted Cruz’s accusations that Christians are being targeted systematically.
In response to such claims, Mills explained that the majority of violence in Nigeria’s Middle Belt and other regions is driven by complex socio-economic and communal considerations, and not religion.
In the Middle Belt, where farmers are predominantly Christians, there have been confrontations with herdsmen. But it would be incorrect to describe those incidents as attacks on a particular religious group,” the envoy said.
He commended President Bola Tinubu’s administration for recent efforts to strengthen security and halt attacks on the affected areas.
“Nigeria’s government has done more and sent more resources to make things improve, and already we’ve started to see some improvement. We welcome these efforts and hope for even more,” Mills said.
Highlighting America’s unqualified commitment to the peace and unity of Nigeria, the envoy praised the country for its age-old tradition of religious tolerance.
Nigeria is populated by individuals of varied ethnic groups and faiths that have peacefully lived together for centuries. Nigerians are approximately half Christians and half Muslims, and this has never been a problem or ever should not be a problem,” he stated.
