The United States has urged the Nigerian government to intensify efforts to protect Christian communities across the country, following a spate of recent attacks and abductions.

Speaking on Thursday, the U.S. Under Secretary for Political Affairs, Ms. Allison Hooker, acknowledged that some progress had been made in recent months but stressed that renewed violence showed Nigeria must do more to guarantee the safety of Christians.

“Today, we are here to discuss how we can work together to deter violence against Christian communities, prioritising counterterrorism and addressing insecurity; investigating attacks and holding perpetrators accountable; and reducing the number of killings, forced displacements, and abductions of Christians, particularly in the North-Central states,” Ms. Hooker said at a high-level U.S.–Nigeria Working Group meeting held in Abuja.

She cited the recent release of abducted Christians as evidence of positive engagement between both countries.

“With respect to the protection of Christians, the Nigerian government recently secured the release of 38 Christians abducted from a church in Kwara State, and another 265 abducted from St. Mary’s Catholic School. This real progress is a direct result of our engagement with the Nigerian government and our partnership,” she said.

However, Ms. Hooker expressed concern over reports that gunmen abducted more than 170 Christians in Kaduna State on January 18.

“We are, however, concerned about recent reports that gunmen kidnapped more than 170 Christians in Kaduna State. We want to see an end to this type of violence, and we are here to work with the Nigerian government with the goal of protecting Christians and their right to practise their faith freely and safely,” she said.

She further called on the government to collaborate with local authorities and non-governmental organisations to secure the release of the victims and support their families.

“We call for the government to work with the local authorities to find and secure the release of the innocent victims, and to work with NGOs to meet the victims’ families’ needs in the meantime,” she added.

Ms. Hooker noted that advancing religious freedom and security would strengthen broader U.S.–Nigeria relations, including cooperation in trade, health, and counterterrorism efforts, while also supporting the return of internally displaced persons to their communities.

According to her, enhancing religious freedom and security would enable both countries to maximise the reciprocal benefits of their partnership, “solidifying trade and economic deals, degrading terrorist groups that threaten our interests, and strengthening health responses, among many other areas”.

“We also hope to identify ways to return internally displaced persons to the communities from which they were expelled in the North-Central states, interdict weapons and funding going to terrorist groups, expand investigations, and ensure the prosecution of individuals and groups committing atrocities,” she said.

Responding, Nigeria’s National Security Adviser (NSA), Mr. Nuhu Ribadu, said the administration of President Mr. Bola Ahmed Tinubu had taken deliberate and decisive steps to confront insecurity nationwide.

He said these measures included intensified joint security operations and the sustained deployment of forces to priority locations, particularly communities facing recurrent attacks on civilians and religious groups.

“These directives have been matched with concrete action. Nigeria is expanding early-warning and rapid-response mechanisms and developing a national database to serve as a single, authoritative source of accurate and verifiable data on deaths and casualties arising from violence,” Mr. Ribadu said.

According to him, the initiative would strengthen evidence-based decision-making, accountability, and the effectiveness of security responses.

Mr. Ribadu added that investigations and prosecutions related to attacks on religious communities had been intensified to ensure that violence was met not only with force, but also with justice and accountability.

“Nigeria is a deeply plural society, and the protection of all citizens—Christians, Muslims, and those of other beliefs—is non-negotiable. Violence framed along religious lines is treated as an attack on the Nigerian state itself,” he said.

“Our response, therefore, integrates security operations, the rule of law, humanitarian safeguards, and strategic communication, ensuring that operational successes translate into public confidence and strengthened social cohesion.”

While acknowledging that the partnership between Nigeria and the United States was yielding results, the NSA said progress should be assessed not by isolated incidents within a complex security environment, but by the overall trajectory of policy decisions, institutional capacity, and the ability to prevent, respond to, and punish violence.

“Nigeria believes this is the most responsible and credible basis for partnership and evaluation,” he said.

He added that cooperation between both countries extended beyond security to democratic resilience, respect for the rule of law, and regional stability in West Africa, as well as a shared resolve to prevent extremist and malign actors from exploiting governance gaps or social fractures.

The high-level meeting followed the abduction of more than 100 worshippers in the Kurmin Wali community of Kajuru Local Government Area, Kaduna State, by suspected bandits.

Although the Kaduna State Government and the police initially denied the incident on Monday, the police later reversed their position on Wednesday, confirming that the worshippers had indeed been abducted.