The United States President Donald Trump has classified Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) over alleged widespread persecution and killings of Christians in the country.
Announcing the decision on Friday through his Truth Social account, later reposted on the official White House X handle, Trump claimed that Christianity in Nigeria was under an “existential threat.”
“Thousands of Christians are being massacred, and radical Islamists are to blame for this large-scale slaughter. When Christians, or any group, are being killed as they are in Nigeria (3,100 compared to 4,476 globally), there must be a response,” the US President stated.
He also instructed Congressman Riley Moore and House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole to launch an investigation into the alleged killings and provide him with a detailed report, stressing that the United States “cannot remain passive while such atrocities occur.”
This is not the first time Nigeria has come under such designation. In December 2020, during Trump’s first term, Nigeria was initially listed as a CPC under the US International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) of 1998, citing “systematic, ongoing, egregious violations of religious freedom.”
However, the administration of former US President Joe Biden reversed the designation in November 2021. Then–Secretary of State Antony Blinken explained that while Nigeria faced serious security challenges, the government was not “directly engaged” in religious persecution.
Trump’s latest move, analysts say, signals Washington’s renewed criticism of Nigeria’s handling of religiously motivated violence, especially amid persistent attacks by Boko Haram, Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP), and armed herders.
The redesignation follows months of lobbying from US lawmakers and evangelical groups.
In September 2025, Senator Ted Cruz introduced the Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act of 2025, seeking to restore Nigeria’s CPC status and impose sanctions on officials linked to alleged religious persecution.
The bill, co-sponsored by five Republican senators, including Ted Budd, alleges that over 52,000 Christians have been killed in Nigeria since 2009, while more than 20,000 churches and Christian institutions have been attacked or destroyed.
Congressman Riley Moore, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, had earlier urged US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to take “immediate action,” praising Trump for his “leadership” in defending Christians “being slaughtered by radical Islamists.”
Lawmakers, including Ted Budd and John James, commended Trump’s action, describing it as “a necessary response to the brutal slaughtering of Christians and religious minorities.”
The Federal Government swiftly rejected Trump’s designation, insisting that the claims of Christian genocide “do not reflect the situation on the ground.”
In a statement issued by Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the government said Nigerians of all faiths “have long lived, worked, and worshipped together peacefully.”
Under the leadership of President Bola Tinubu, the statement added, Nigeria remains committed to “fighting terrorism, strengthening interfaith harmony, and protecting the lives and rights of all its people.”
The ministry said Nigeria would continue to “engage constructively” with Washington to deepen mutual understanding of regional security dynamics.
Meanwhile, some Nigerian political and religious figures have expressed divergent views on this issue.
Senator Shehu Sani criticised the US for “moral inconsistency,” while Archbishop Osazee Williams of the Ecumenical Synods of Bishops in London welcomed the designation but warned against framing it purely as a Christian issue.
“It is good that he declared Nigeria a country of particular concern, but branding it as Christian genocide brings a dangerous divide. There are systematic killings, yes, but every soul matters,” he said.
A former presidential aide, Bashir Ahmad, cautioned that the move could affect Nigeria’s counterterrorism cooperation with the US, including access to military hardware.
“Nigeria has almost solely relied on the United States in its fight against terrorism, purchasing the majority of its sophisticated weapons from them. Now, with the new sanctions, how are we supposed to effectively confront the terrorists?” he queried.
