Nigeria kidnappings in spotlight

HIGH-LEVEL SECURITY MEETING

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CHILDREN who were released after being kidnapped last month get out of a minibus upon their arrival at the Niger State Government House in Minna on December 22, 2025. More mass kidnappings across several churches in Kaduna state took place last Sunday.

(AFP)

THE US said Nigeria “must do more to protect Christians” following a mass kidnapping across several churches in Kaduna state, as a high-level secutity meeting kicked off in Abuja on Thursday.

But in a speech, a senior State Department official leading the US delegation omitted any mention of Muslim victims of violence in Africa's most populous country.

The remarks come as Abuja has been under diplomatic pressure by Washington over violence that US President Donald Trump says amounts to “genocide” and “persecution” of Christians. That framing is rejected by the Nigerian government and independent analysts in the country, which faces overlapping security challenges that kill both Muslim and Christian civilians alike.

“The government of Nigeria must do more to protect Christians and their right to practise their faith freely and safely,” said Allison Hooker, State Department undersecretary for political affairs, referencing the kidnapping of more than 170 people from several churches.