Nigeria has denied allegations of violating religious freedom levelled against the country by the United States of America.
The country has, therefore, faulted the US for adding her to a religious freedom blacklist of countries with severe religious violations.
On Monday, US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, had designated Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” for religious freedom.
Pompeo had twitted, “These annual designations show that when religious freedom is attacked, we will act.”
But Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, faulted the allegations in a statement on Tuesday.
Mohammed explained that the allegation by the United States of engaging in systematic and egregious religious freedom violations was faulty.
The statement was issued in Abuja by Special Assistant To The President (Media) Office of the Minister of Information and Culture, Segun Adeyemi.
The minister said the allegation was “a case of an honest disagreement between the two nations on the causes of violence in Nigeria.
”Nigeria does not engage in religious freedom violation, neither does it have a policy of religious persecution. Victims of insecurity and terrorism in the country are adherents of Christianity, Islam and other religions.
“Nigeria jealously protects religious freedom as enshrined in the country’s constitution and takes seriously any infringements in this regard.”
Other countries on the US blacklist include Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, China, Iran, Eritrea, Myanmar, North Korea, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.