Apostle Kure: Trump’s ‘Country of Concern’ Tag on Nigeria Stirs Outcry Over Church Restrictions in the North
The United States president, Donald Trump’s designation of Nigeria as a “Country of Concern” over alleged persecution of Christians has triggered fresh debate among church leaders in northern Nigeria.
Apostle Emmanuel Nuhu Kure, chairman of the Southern Kaduna Christian Leaders Association (SKCLA) and former national secretary of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), said the U.S. action exposes long-ignored realities of religious discrimination in the region.
In a statement issued in Kaduna, Kure alleged that churches are not permitted to be built in several northern cities and institutions of learning, including Bayero University in Kano and Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, while mosques are freely established.
He described the situation as one that “encourages jihadist ideologies hostile to the Christian faith”, lamenting that “for far too long, Christians in the North have been abandoned by the very nation that should protect them.”
According to him, “Successive governments, northern Muslim leaders, and even some Christian leaders have paid lip service to peace, human rights, and unity,” while “the systematic rewriting of the history of northern minorities continues, with their lands seized and representation denied.”
Kure called on the federal government to set up an independent inquiry into the alleged persecution of Christians, noting that killings in Benue and Plateau states, as well as attacks on pastors in southern Kaduna, point to “a scorched-earth campaign against Christian communities.”
He urged the church to “speak out more boldly” and commended the Kaduna state government’s early steps toward reform and peaceful coexistence.
“Sometimes,” he said, “only external forces like Trump’s bold stance can make us confront our reflection, since we appear incapable of doing so ourselves.”
Kure added that Nigeria’s leaders must act urgently to ensure equal rights and religious freedom, saying “the moment of reckoning is now.”
