Keyamo denies targeted Christian killings, urges U.S. support against terrorism
Festus Keyamo
Abdullateef Fowewe
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has publicly refuted assertions of “mass killings” targeting Christians in Nigeria, emphasising the nation’s secular values and the diverse impact of insecurity.
Writing on X, he stated, “I am a lawyer of more than three decades of active practice, most of which was dedicated to activism in promotion and protection of human rights.”
Keyamo highlighted his recognition for human rights work, including receiving the Global Human Rights Award in Washington in 2017.
He stressed his Christian upbringing and ethical background as reasons why he would never serve a government that persecutes Christians, “It would have been most unconscionable for me to associate with a government if truly there is any scintilla of truth in the assertion that Christians are SPECIFICALLY targeted in Nigeria for persecution, killings or harassment ON ACCOUNT OF THEIR FAITH. It is simply not true.”
He pointed to Nigeria’s ongoing fight against Boko Haram, herdsmen, and cattle rustlers as the root causes of violence, affecting all religions equally.
On Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu, Keyamo noted, “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of Nigeria, though a Muslim, is a known ‘moderate’, whose wife is a Pastor of one of the biggest Pentecostal Churches in Nigeria and most of his children are practising Christians.”
Keyamo urged the U.S. government to seek broader perspectives on Nigeria’s security challenges, calling for cooperation and dialogue, “We ask for collaboration; we ask for frank and open dialogue at this time with your government; we ask that you broaden your sources of information at this time so as to get a balanced view of the happenings in Nigeria.”
