The United States Department of State has announced a $3.5 million funding opportunity to strengthen documentation and reporting of religious freedom abuses in Nigeria.
The initiative, unveiled by the Office of International Religious Freedom under the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labour, is targeted at improving qmonitoring of attacks linked to religion and belief across the country.
According to the notice, the project will support organisations working to document abuses committed by both state and non-state actors in Nigeria.
The US government also criticised what it described as poor and delayed responses by Nigerian authorities to violent attacks against civilians and faith communities.
It said reports from civil society groups show that authorities often fail to respond in a timely or effective manner, especially in cases involving attacks on Christian communities.
The funding programme is expected to run for between 24 and 48 months, with priority focus on the Middle Belt and at least four states where the projects will be implemented.
