By Ghazali Ibrahim
The Federal Government has formally accused the United States of inadvertently emboldening terrorist and criminal groups operating within Nigeria, claiming that certain American narratives have fuelled insecurity rather than alleviated it.
In a statement issued by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, the government asserted that Washington’s designation of Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” for alleged religious persecution has deepened national tensions.
Akume warned that the mischaracterisation of the conflict as one of religion rather than security could be exploited by insurgents and bandits, thereby increasing their daring and operational reach.
The accusation comes amid a rising wave of abductions in states like Kebbi and Kwara, where the government claims that terrorists, invigorated by claims of foreign neglect or bias, are mounting more frequent attacks.
While the Nigerian government welcomes U.S. cooperation on intelligence and counter‑terrorism hardware, it emphasises that sovereignty and accurate intelligence sharing must guide collaboration.
It maintained that mis‑labelling Nigeria’s security crisis as targeted religious violence opens the door to external intervention that could further destabilise the country.
