ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is pushing back after his U.S. counterpart designated the West African country “a country of particular concern” for allegedly failing to rein in the persecution of Christians.

In a social media statement on Saturday, Tinubu said that the characterization of Nigeria as a religiously intolerant country does not reflect the national reality.

“Religious freedom and tolerance have been a core tenet of our collective identity and shall always remain so,” Tinubu said. “Nigeria opposes religious persecution and does not encourage it. Nigeria is a country with constitutional guarantees to protect citizens of all faiths.”

Donald Trump, in a social media post on Friday, said “Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria” and “

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