SPEECH BY THE HONOURABLE MINISTER OF INFORMATION, MOHAMMED IDRIS, FNIPR, AT A PRESS CONFERENCE IN RESPONSE TO THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT’S DESIGNATION OF NIGERIA AS A “COUNTRY OF CONCERN” HELD AT THE NATIONAL PRESS CENTRE, RADIO HOUSE, ABUJA, ON WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2025
Gentlemen and ladies of the press. I welcome you again to this briefing and i must appreciate you for turning out in your numbers even with a very short notice. The government is well apprised with the level of anxiety created by the designation of our country as a country of particular concern (CPC) by the US government and threats of military invasion by President Donald Trump following a wrong perception and misrepresentation of the security challenges in our country. The federal government has always recognized the security challenges that had beset our country since 2009 with the advent of Boko Haram terrorists.
Let me state from the outset that the Government and people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria have taken note of the position of the Government of the United States of America on Nigeria over alleged violations of religious freedom.
Nigeria faces longstanding security challenges that have impacted Christians and Muslims alike, and we mourn every loss of life—knowing that even a single loss of life is one too many.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is more than determined to confront and end these security challenges. Since May 2023, when he assumed office, Nigeria’s security agencies have neutralized more than 13,500 terrorists through sustained operations and arrested over 17,000 suspects, who are now undergoing interrogation or prosecution for various offences. Also, more than 9,800 victims abducted by terrorist elements, including women and children, have been rescued and reintegrated.
It is important to restate that the menace of terrorism in Nigeria does not exclusively target any religious or ethnic group. As in many parts of the world, extremism is mindless, blind to religion, tribe, or class. It is a war against all peace-loving Nigerians and against the unity and progress of our great nation.
Therefore, any narrative suggesting that the Nigerian State is failing to take action against religious attacks is based on misinformation or faulty data. Several leading personnel of the very dedicated Armed Forces of Nigeria and the country’s intelligence agencies are Christians, working and succeeding alongside their Muslim colleagues in the fight against extremists and criminals waging war against our country and values.
Also, Nigeria’s security challenge cannot be fully understood without acknowledging the volatile security situation in the Sahel region—and complicating factors such as the collapse of Libya over a decade ago, flooding the region with terrorist elements, extremist groups, and illegal weapons. The regional dimension underscores why Nigeria continues to champion greater cooperation within ECOWAS, tge African Union, and international partners – including ths United States – to stabilise the Sahel and cut off the transnational lifelines of terrorism. The other issue is the socio-economic dimension of the conflict in the North-Central, especially in Plateau and Benue State, exacerbated by age-long farmers-herders violent clashes made worse by climate change and desertification.
The recent change in Service Chiefs and the subsequent realignment within the Armed Forces and security agencies reflect President Tinubu’s determination to reinvigorate Nigeria’s security architecture. This strategic overhaul is designed to infuse fresh energy, innovation, and accountability into our national defence and intelligence systems.
The mission is to deliver better results, strengthen coordination among the services, and stamp out terrorism and violent crime in every part of Nigeria. The President’s directive is unequivocal — that every inch of Nigerian territory must be secured, and every citizen must live free from fear.
Our military and other security agencies are winning the war on terrorism and the results in the past years and most especially in the last two years of President Tinubu’s leadership are real and remarkable.
We have made stringent efforts in curtailling access to small arms and light weapons by non-state actors. Security agencies recovered and destroyed over 5,000 military-grade rifles and intercepted over 20 gun-running networks in the past months.
The administration has made multi-million-dollar investments in modernised equipment for our security agencies and has increased the defence and security budget. The President has always given the military his absolute support, and I assure you that there is the political will to remove the last vestiges of this menace from our country.
In the past two years, significant progress has been made in the war against terrorism across the North-West, North-East and South-East, North-Central, and other parts of our country. Within this period, the number of terrorism-related attacks has plummeted. In March, a report by the Global Terrorism Index indicated that terrorist attacks were at their lowest in over a decade in Nigeria.
In the past eight months, the Nigerian military neutralized over 592 terrorists in Borno State alone. Over 13,500 terrorists and armed criminals have been neutralised. More than 17,000 arrests made. Over 11,200 hostages freed. More importantly, over 124,000 insurgents and their families surrendered, handing over more than 11,000 weapons. In the North-West, especially Zamfara and Kaduna, 11,250 hostages have been freed, and some of the terror leaders —Ali Kachala, Boderi, Halilu Sububu — have been neutralized. In August, the military intercepted and killed, in one fell swoop, over 400 armed bandits who had converged to attack a village in Zamfara.
In the South-East, terror attacks have been reduced by almost 80% through the joint effort of our security agencies. In the North-Central, many of these criminal elements have been neutralized, and many arrests have been made. The government is ratcheting up effort to ensure more robust security in the North-Central as new threats emerge.
Two terrorism suspects, Mahmud Muhammad Usman and Abubakar Abba, who are wanted internationally, are currently undergoing prosecution. The two, who are believed to be leaders of the Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina fi-Biladis Sudan, commonly known as ANSARU, Nigeria’s Al-Qaeda affiliate, were captured in a high-risk, intelligence-led, counter-terrorism operation in July.
Their arrest marked a turning point in our ongoing operations against terrorism. Usman, the self-styled Emir of ANSARU, allegedly coordinated various terrorist sleeper cells across Nigeria. He is also believed to have masterminded several high-profile kidnappings and robberies, the proceeds of which were used to finance terrorism over the years. Abba, Usman’s chief of staff and deputy, is alleged to have led the so-called “Mahmudawa” cell, which operated around the Kainji National Park, located on the border between the states of Niger and Kwara, as well as the Republic of Benin.
Another terror suspect, Khalid Al‑Barnawi, accused of being the mastermind of the August 26, 2011, bombing of the United Nations Complex in Abuja, in which 20 people were killed and more than 70 others injured, is also facing prosecution. Captured in 2016, Al Barnawi is facing trial along with four other terror suspects – Mohammed Bashir Saleh, Umar Mohammed Bello aka Datti, Mohammed Salisu, and Yakubu Nuhu aka Bello Maishayi.
On August 11, five terror suspects were arraigned before a Federal High Court in Abuja over their alleged involvement in the June 5, 2022 attack at St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State.
Also undergoing trial are the suspects arrested in connection with the Yelwata massacre in Guma Local Government Area of Benue State on June 13, 2025, where dozens of people were killed and 107 were injured. drew worldwide condemnation. On June 24, 2025, 26 suspects in connection with the massacre were arrested. In August 2025, terrorism-related charges were filed before the Federal High Court in Abuja against the suspects.
There are hundreds of other suspects under the military’s protective custody, whose cases are being handled by the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation. So far, 125 of the terrorists have been convicted. The various arrests and trials of terrorism suspects showed that Nigeria’s security agencies have been diligent in dealing with the perpetrators of terror in the country.
We shall continue to make the suspects accountable for disrupting the peace of our country, in consonance with the rule of law. The federal government will not recline until the remnants of these hounds of death are permanently removed.
The Government of Nigeria remains open and willing to work closely with the Government of the United States, other friendly nations and partners, to achieve our shared goal — the complete elimination of terrorism on Nigerian soil.
The cooperation between Nigeria and the United States has already resulted in the delivery of a dozen Super Tucano aircraft—which have been of tremendous impact in the anti-insurgency fight—with another dozen AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters in the process of being acquired by the Nigerian Air Force. We call on our American friends and partners to approach the Nigerian situation with an understanding of its complex realities — a vast, multi-ethnic, and multi-religious nation making significant strides in economic reform and in the bolstering of its security architecture.
We believe that constructive engagement is the surest and most effective way to achieve peace and stability. Nigeria welcomes dialogue, cooperation, and support from foreign nations, including the United States of America in addressing our shared security concerns.
We warmly invite all our partners, both domestic and international, to join us in this noble endeavour — anchored on trust, collaboration, and mutual respect.
The President Tinubu administration remains ever faithful and committed to its duty of securing our nation and its peoples. As the President himself has reassured, Nigeria stands firmly on the constitutional guarantees on citizens’ liberty and freedom of religion. I want to assure Nigerians that the country is in capable and steady hands with President Tinubu leading the charge to boost our economy, strengthen our military and intelligence capabilities and leading the country towards greater and shared prosperity. On the current misreading and misjudging of the reality of Nigeria’s true security situation by the United States, President Tinubu is taking the lead to resolve all areas misunderstanding through all available diplomatic and political channels just as the Federal Government welcomes more collaboration, assistance and partnership with all our foreign partners and the United States.
Thank you for your attention and May God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Mohammed Idris, fnipr
Honourable Minister of Information and National Orientation.
Wednesday, November 5, 2025
