The United States has placed Nigeria and six other countries on a special list of countries to avoid; due to their repeated violation of religious freedom.
Other countries listed in the SWL include Comoros, Russia, Uzbekistan, Cuba, Nicaragua, and Sudan.
This disclosure was revealed by the US Secretary of State, Michael Pompeo, in Washington on Friday, December 20.
Pompeo further revealed that the US State Department had also designated various terrorist groups such as the al-Nusra Front; al-Qa’ida in the Arabian Peninsula, al-Qa’ida, al-Shabab, Boko Haram, the Houthis, ISIS, ISIS-Khorasan, and the Taliban as ‘Entities of Particular Concern.’
The designation of Nigeria as a country of interest; is a sequel to the release of the 2018 report of the United States Commission for International Religious Freedom.
It noted that Federal and State governments continued to tolerate discrimination; on the basis of religion or belief, “and suppressed the freedom to manifest religion or belief.”
The report cited the continued detention of the leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria; Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, by the Department of State Services.
It said, “Religious freedom conditions in Nigeria trended negatively in 2018. The Nigerian government at the national and state levels continued to tolerate violence and discrimination; on the basis of religion or belief and suppressed the freedom to manifest religion or belief.
“The federal government continued to detain the leader of the IMN, Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky; along with his wife and hundreds of other members, and state governments continued to ban the group’s activities.”
The report added, “The Nigerian federal government failed to implement effective strategies; to prevent or stop such violence or to hold perpetrators accountable.
“Boko Haram and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria-West Africa continued to perpetrate attacks against civilians and the military throughout the year; despite the government’s claims of progress in defeating them.”
It was further reported that delegations from the USCIRF visited Nigeria in May and November 2018; to examine religious freedom concerns.
They noted that religious freedom abuses continued at the state level; including coercive official or societal actions to enforce particular religious norms.
