Brussels, 31 October 2025
Member of the European Parliament and member of the committee on foreign affairs (AFET) Željana Zovko went to Nigeria and Ghana for an AFET mission from 26 to 30 October 2025.
During the mission, members of the European Parliament met with the authorities of both countries, as well as parliamentarians and members of institutions of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
Their discussions focused on a wide variety of issues ranging from unemployment, security challenges, to the persecution of Christians in Nigeria.
As co-chair of the European Parliament working group on intercultural and interreligious dialogue, Zovko questioned Nigerian authorities about the reasons why adequate security and protection measures have not yet been implemented and why the perpetrators of violence have not been held accountable for their actions against Christians that are increasingly persecuted in the country and are notably targeted by islamist groups such as Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).
Zovko called on the Nigerian authorities to provide stronger protection for all communities, including Christians, and greater transparency. She insisted on the need to ensure that crimes committed against all communities are publicly investigated and punished.
Moreover, during her meetings in Nigeria, Zovko expressed concern about inequality between citizens in some federal states in Nigeria where Sharia law is in force.
In her exchanges with Nigerian counterparts, Zovko also recalled the European Parliament’s steadfast commitment to protect Christians in Nigeria, with notably the adoption of three resolutions over the last years that were already calling for decisive and firm actions, and that Zovko had initiated.
In addition, as religious-driven conflicts in Nigeria often lead to the destruction of religious sites, Zovko also questioned Nigerian authorities about their actions to ensure the protection of religious sites that are part of cultural heritage and should as such be safeguarded.
Let us remind that, as co-chair of the European Parliament working group on intercultural and interreligious dialogue, Zovko is actively committed to the protection of Christians around the world. Over the last years, she has negotiated European Parliament resolutions on this topic, notably on the persecution of members of the Catholic Church in Nicaragua.