The African Union (AU) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have reaffirmed their confidence in Nigeria’s sovereignty and commitment to religious freedom, dismissing allegations that the Nigerian government is complicit in religiously motivated violence.
In separate statements issued on Friday, both regional bodies cautioned against external narratives that could distort Nigeria’s security challenges or undermine regional stability.
The African Union Commission (AUC), in its statement dated November 7, 2025, reiterated its commitment to the principles of sovereignty, non-interference, religious freedom, and the rule of law as enshrined in the AU Constitutive Act.
The Commission expressed concern over recent remarks by the United States alleging Nigerian complicity in attacks on Christians and threatening military action, describing Nigeria as “a longstanding and valued member state” central to regional stability, counterterrorism, and peacekeeping.
It stressed that Nigeria’s Constitution guarantees freedom of religion and that the government “rejects all forms of religious persecution,” while warning that conflating all violence with a single religious narrative could hinder solutions and destabilize communities.
Similarly, the ECOWAS Commission, in a communiqué dated November 4, 2025, emphasized that terrorist attacks in West Africa “target innocent civilians of all religious denominations, including Muslims, Christians, and adherents of other faiths.”
ECOWAS rejected claims that the violence amounts to genocide against any particular group, describing such narratives as “false and dangerous” and capable of weakening social cohesion.
It added that independent reports confirm that terrorist-related violence in the region does not discriminate on the basis of gender, religion, ethnicity, or age.
