The United States has announced plans to work with the Nigerian government to establish a joint task force aimed at addressing allegations of Christian persecution in the country.
Jonathan Pratt, a senior official at the US State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs, disclosed the development on Thursday while testifying at a congressional hearing in Washington, DC. He said the initiative follows a directive from Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Earlier in the week, Nigeria deployed a high-level delegation to the United States to discuss the allegations after President Donald Trump redesignated Nigeria as a “country of particular concern” (CPC). The delegation is led by National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu and includes the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi.
Pratt told lawmakers that the Nigerian delegation is scheduled to engage with officials from the State Department as well as the Department of War, following Trump’s instruction to prepare for possible military action in Nigeria. He said, “The secretary of state has directed us at the State Department to work with the Nigerian government on an action plan and to set up a task force to address this issue and use all of the tools that are at our disposal to focus minds and focus attention on this issue.”
He explained that the planned strategy would be largely diplomatic while also involving security cooperation, policing efforts, economic support and other programmes, noting, “This would span from security to policing to economic. We want to look at all of these tools and have a comprehensive strategy to get the best result possible.”
Jacob McGee, deputy assistant secretary in the State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labour, described the CPC designation as a “conversation starter” that is expected to deepen engagement with Nigeria. He emphasised that “ultimately, this is their responsibility.”
