Nigeria making gains against insecurity, Tinubu’s envoy tells US Congress

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BY: NEES DESK 

Nigeria is making real progress in tackling insecurity, with most attacks driven by criminal banditry rather than religious persecution, the West African country’s top envoy to the United States told Congress Thursday.

Dr. Taiwo Ajibolu Balofin, chairman of APC USA and official U.S. spokesman for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, testified before the House Subcommittee on Africa, chaired by Representative Chris Smith.

Balofin acknowledged the suffering of both Christian and Muslim communities, noting that members of his own family had lost relatives, homes, and churches to violence. He urged lawmakers to see the full picture rather than a partial narrative.

Citing reports from independent bodies including the International Crisis Group, ACLED, the U.S. Institute of Peace, and the Council on Foreign Relations, Balofin said violence in Nigeria’s North-West and North-Central regions has shifted from Boko Haram’s religious insurgency to criminal enterprises centred on kidnapping-for-ransom, extortion, and land disputes. He added that over 60 percent of recorded abductions in Zamfara, Kaduna, and Katsina this year occurred in Muslim communities.

The envoy highlighted what he described as unprecedented government efforts to combat insecurity, including expanded troop deployments, increased aerial operations with U.S.-supplied Super Tucano aircraft, and new peace and stabilisation initiatives that have rescued thousands of hostages of all faiths. He said these measures have contributed to a 28 percent drop in communal-violence fatalities compared with the previous year.

Balofin also warned that political actors may exploit genuine suffering ahead of the 2027 elections, and cautioned against broad punitive U.S. measures that could undermine joint security efforts. He called for partnership rather than sanctions.

He proposed immediate steps to strengthen cooperation, including the creation of a U.S.–Nigeria Religious Freedom and Security Working Group, expansion of USAID-backed community resilience projects, and a transparent Victims of Violence Trust Fund to support affected Christians and Muslims equally.

On behalf of President Tinubu, Balofin urged Congress to support a strong U.S.–Nigeria partnership. “220 million Nigerians simply want peace,” he said

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