U.S. lawmaker urges Tinubu to remove Popular minister over rising att∆cks on Christians in Nigeria, cites relationship with bandits
U.S. lawmaker urges Tinubu to remove Popular minister over rising attacks on Christians in Nigeria, cites relationship with bandits
She urged the U.S. to apply more diplomatic pressure to hold those accused of aiding terrorism accountable.
Kimberly Daniels, a Florida state representative and chairwoman of the United World Congress of Diplomats (UN-WCD), has charged President Bola Tinubu to sack or redeploy the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, over rising attacks in the country.
Ms Daniels posted a statement containing her recommendations on tackling insecurity in Nigeria on her Facebook page on Wednesday.
“To The Government of Nigeria: The Results of the Assessment urge President Tinubu to ‘look inward’ and remove elements that compromise national security,” Ms Daniels said.
Ms Daniels’ recommendations specifically included: “Immediate Leadership Review: The removal or redeployment of Minister Bello Matawalle to restore the integrity of the defense ministry.”
She added: “Conducting a transparent investigation into allegations of high-level complicity with banditry to regain the trust of the Nigerian people and implementing more robust security measures for vulnerable communities in the North-Central and Northwestern belts of the country.”
To the U.S. government, Ms Daniels recommended increased “diplomatic pressure to ensure that those accused of aiding terrorism are held accountable.”
“Based on the referenced report, the attacks against believers in Northern Nigeria are allegedly protected by leadership from the inside,” she said.
She added, “The greatest form of terrorism a person can experience is terror that comes from ‘homegrown familiar enemies.’ When the people you trust to protect you work undercover with others who want to harm you, it must be devastating! My brothers and sisters in Nigeria are martyred because they gather to worship Jesus, while most Americans do not understand how precious our religious liberty is and the protections that come with it.”
Bayo Onanuga and Daniel Bwala, spokespersons for Mr Tinubu, have not responded to requests for comment.
