General Olufemi Oluyede—recently appointed as Chief of Defence Staff (CDS)—has reaffirmed the commitment of Nigeria’s armed forces to ramp up efforts in confronting terrorism and other security threats. He made the remark following his meeting with Nuhu Ribadu, National Security Adviser (NSA), on Monday.

Speaking on the sidelines of the meeting, General Oluyede also responded to accusations by Donald Trump that Nigeria is neglecting Christian citizens amid widespread violence. Trump had designated Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” over alleged persecution of Christians.

General Oluyede declared:

“There is no Christian persecution in Nigeria. I want to assure Nigerians that, going forward, we are going to add more to what we are doing to checkmate this act of terrorism within Nigeria.”

With this assurance, he stressed that the armed forces would intensify operations, enhance coordination among security agencies, and pursue every available means to “checkmate” the root causes of terrorism.
The development comes amid growing international scrutiny of Nigeria’s security situation, especially its handling of religious- and region-based violence. While the US claims a disproportionate targeting of Christians, Nigeria rejects the characterization.