CHARITIES were hoping that the treatment of Christians in Nigeria would be raised last week when President Bola Ahmed Tinubu met the Prime Minister during the country’s first state visit to the UK in 37 years.
As part of the visit, the King hosted a banquet at Windsor Castle. On Thursday, Oluremi Tinubu, the Nigerian First Lady, was welcomed at Lambeth Palace. Nigerian media had reported that Mrs Tinubu, who is a pastor in the Redeemed Christian Church of God, was to deliver a sermon at Lambeth Palace.
A number of aid agencies and pressure groups, including Open Doors and Aid to the Church in Need, wrote a letter to the UK Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief, David Smith MP, urging the UK Government to use the state visit as an opportunity to press for tangible improvements in security and accountability in the treatment of Christians. Open Doors said that the letter acknowledged that, while all faith communities had been affected by insecurity, Christian communities — particularly those in Nigeria’s Middle Belt — were suffering “disproportionate harm” amid attacks by armed groups, bandit militias, and other non-state actors.
The UK organisation Release International also urged the Prime Minister to press the President to take decisive action to protect Christian communities in the northern states and across the Middle Belt. “We would respectfully but strongly urge Sir Keir Starmer to take this opportunity to make the security of Christians in Nigeria a key part of his discussions with the President,” Release International’s CEO, Paul Robinson, said.
“Year after year, vulnerable Christian communities in northern and central Nigeria have been ignored by a government that seems either incapable or unwilling to tackle extremism within its own borders. How long must we go on witnessing the deaths and kidnappings of Christian believers and the destruction of whole communities?”
According to Release International, estimates have put the number of Christians killed in Nigeria at more than 60,000 since the year 2000.
Amnesty International has reported that 6896 people in Benue state and 2630 in Plateau state were killed between June 2023 and June 2025.
It was not revealed whether the plight of Christians in Nigeria had been raised in official talks during the state visit. The King, at his banquet last Wednesday, said: “This afternoon, in another part of the Castle, Mr President, you and I witnessed [an] example of how we are learning from one another when we met leaders of the British Christian and Muslim communities.
“The gathering was a deeply meaningful symbol of what Nigeria has long shown: that people of different faiths can, do, and must live alongside one another, in peace, in harmony, and in shared purpose. It was also a timely reminder of the importance of standing with you — and in us strengthening your Quick Reaction Forces, or in providing food, nutrition, and protection services in Northern Nigeria — when challenges disturb the age-old balance between these communities.”
On her arrival at Lambeth Palace, Mrs Tinubu was received by the Secretary General of the Anglican Communion, the Rt Revd Anthony Poggo, on behalf of the Archbishop of Canterbury, who was on her walking pilgrimage to Canterbury to prepare for her installation in her cathedral on Wednesday.
Church of England bishops were also present to welcome the First Lady, including the Bishop of Willesden, the Rt Revd Lusa Nsenga-Ngoy, who is the lead bishop for interfaith relations; the Bishop of Dover, the Rt Revd Rose Hudson-Wilkin; and the Acting Bishop of London, Dr Emma Ineson.
Mrs Tinubu attended a short service in the chapel at Lambeth Palace, where she was invited to preach. Bishop Poggo then hosted a reception for Mrs Tinubu, who met representatives from the Anglican Communion Office, the Church of England, and other faith charities including Christian Aid and the Mothers’ Union.
Bishop Poggo said: “It was excellent to greet the First Lady during her visit to Lambeth Palace, to hear more about her role in serving public life, to pray together for the people of Nigeria and the needs of the world. It was also good to be in the presence of faith and charity groups who are working together, to serve the common good.”
In late December, President Trump ordered air strikes against alleged Islamic State targets in north-west Nigeria. He described the strikes as a “Christmas present” for Nigerian Christians.
