ITALY’s Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, has urged the Federal Government of Nigeria to immediately prosecute all individuals responsible for the rising wave of attacks on Christian communities across the country, warning that the international community is increasingly alarmed by the trend.
In a statement sighted by News Point Nigeria on Saturday, Meloni condemned the renewed violence targeting Christian worshippers, insisting that religious freedom remains a fundamental and non-negotiable human right.
“We strongly condemn the renewed violence against Christian communities in Nigeria today. Religious freedom is an inalienable right,” she said.
“We call on the Nigerian government to strengthen the protection of Christian communities and all religious communities and prosecute those responsible for this heinous attack. Italy expresses its closeness to the victims and communities in Nigeria that today feel in danger because of their religious beliefs.”
Meloni’s comments follow fresh reports of deadly attacks and abductions in Christian communities, including the kidnapping of worshippers in Kwara State earlier in the week.
On Tuesday evening, gunmen stormed a church in the Eruku area of Kwara State, killing at least two people and abducting the pastor and several worshippers. Police authorities and eyewitnesses confirmed the attack, which occurred just days after 25 female students were kidnapped from a boarding school in Kebbi State.
The latest incidents have placed the Nigerian government under heightened international pressure, especially from U.S. President Donald Trump, who recently accused Nigeria of failing to protect Christians and threatened possible American military action if the attacks persist.
In the wake of public outcry and rising diplomatic tension, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Thursday cancelled his planned trips to South Africa and Angola for the G20 and AU-EU summits. According to the Presidency, the President stayed back to receive intelligence and security briefings on the Kwara and Kebbi attacks.
Tinubu has also directed security agencies to “do everything possible” to track down the attackers, rescue the abducted schoolgirls in Kebbi, and locate the kidnapped worshippers in Kwara.
“Mr President has ordered the deployment of all necessary resources to ensure the immediate rescue of the victims,” his spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, said.
There are emerging reports that the gunmen responsible for the Kwara church abductions have demanded a staggering ₦3 billion ransom for the release of the victims.
A community leader, Chief Olusegun Olukotun, the Olori Eta of Eruku, confirmed that the kidnappers had begun contacting families of those abducted. Four of his relatives were among the victims.
“They have started reaching out,” he said. “The community is in deep fear, and we are appealing for swift government intervention.”