A Crisis of Faith and Freedom in Nigeria: Ending Impunity and Restoring Hope

Nigeria’s crisis will not end on its own. It requires decisive, coordinated, bipartisan action to restore accountability, protect communities, and ensure religious freedom.

First, impunity for the region’s violence must end, and sustainability begins with accountability. The Nigerian government must be pressured to prosecute perpetrators of religiously motivated violence, reform corrupt local institutions, and deploy security forces that protect rather than abandon civilians. International partners—the U.S., the EU, and the African Union—must make civilian protection a condition for security cooperation and foreign assistance, meeting those measurable benchmarks. It is essential to cooperate with the affected Christian communities and peaceful Muslim communities that reject Islamist extremism. Without accountability and security, the targeted and extreme violence will persist.

Second, blasphemy laws must go. These statutes are lethal weapons of repression, silencing dissent and religious minorities while punishing any free expression, both of which run contrary to the most basic human rights recognized by free nations. Repealing these laws and voiding any existing death sentences and prison terms is an urgent and necessary first step; matters of faith and expression are not crimes. Deep legal reform is paramount to aligning Nigeria’s laws with its international human rights commitments, in turn uprooting systemic discrimination and securing equal protections for religious minorities. Without it, religious freedoms will continue to deteriorate.

Ultimately, direct humanitarian aid is crucial to the region's restoration. Aid should bypass corrupt state channels and flow through trusted NGOs, churches, and faith-based local partners who are best positioned to understand the communities. Victims need relief to meet their immediate needs, such as food, water, medical care, shelter, as well as long-term support, including trauma counseling, education, resettlement, and reconstruction of homes and churches. Rebuilding targeted Christian communities and returning them to the lands stolen from them is the foundation for peace and resilience through community life and cultural identity.

We must follow these steps to ensure that extremists cannot exploit despair to gain power. Only when accountability, legal reform, and community restoration work in tandem can Nigeria begin to heal.