US removes Nigeria from religious violators’ list

 

The United States has removed Nigeria from its list of religious violators, even as it blacklisted Russia, China and eight other countries “as Countries of Particular Concern for having engaged in or tolerated ‘systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom.”

 

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made this known in a statement on Wednesday titled, ‘Religious Freedom Designations’.

 

While the US had in 2020 placed Nigeria and six other countries on its special watch list of states that had engaged in or tolerated the severe violation of religious freedom, Nigeria was missing from the list of countries designated in the 2021 list for religious violations.

 

Blinken, who is currently in East African nation Kenya on an official visit, is scheduled to physically visit Nigeria on Thursday and meet with the Nigerian President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), and other members of his cabinet.

 

Details later…