U.S. Assistant Secretary Frank Garcia urges Nigeria to strengthen Christian protection

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Frank Garcia completed a visit to Abuja, meeting senior Nigerian officials including Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sola Enikanolaiye, Chief of Defence Staff Olufemi Oluyede, Attorney‑General and Minister of Justice Lateef Olasunkanmi Fagbemi, Minister of Communications Bosun Tijani and National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu. The talks covered security cooperation, justice reform, digital transformation, commercial diplomacy and regional stability.

Garcia pressed Nigeria to increase efforts to protect Christian communities from attacks and to accelerate the safe return of internally displaced persons, stating that “greater efforts and resources must be allocated to the safe return of internally displaced persons (IDPs) to their homes.” He welcomed Nigeria’s progress under the U.S.–Nigeria Joint Working Group addressing the Country of Particular Concern designation and looked forward to the next joint meeting in Washington in August. Discussions also explored opportunities for U.S. investment, with Garcia meeting senior executives from leading U.S. energy and technology companies.

The visit is part of a broader U.S. strategy to deepen its partnership with Nigeria across security and economic domains amid shifting security dynamics in the Sahel and West Africa.