Washington, D.C. – October 31, 2025 – In a bold and controversial move, U.S. President Donald Trump has redesignated Nigeria as a "Country of Particular Concern" (CPC) under the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) of 1998, citing what he described as an "existential threat" to Christianity in the West African nation. The announcement, delivered via a fiery post on Truth Social as Trump arrived at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, accuses radical Islamist groups of orchestrating a "mass slaughter" of thousands of Christians, prompting calls for immediate congressional action and potential sanctions against Nigeria.
"Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria," Trump wrote. "Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter. I am hereby making Nigeria a 'COUNTRY OF PARTICULAR CONCERN' — But that is the least of it. When Christians, or any such group, is slaughtered like is happening in Nigeria (3,100 versus 4,476 Worldwide), something must be done!
"I am asking Congressman Riley Moore, together with Chairman Tom Cole and the House Appropriations Committee, to immediately look into this matter, and report back to me.
"The United States cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening in Nigeria, and numerous other Countries. We stand ready, willing, and able to save our Great Christian population around the World!"
The redesignation revives a label first applied to Nigeria during Trump's initial term in 2020 by then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who highlighted "systematic violations of religious freedom." That status was lifted in 2023 under the Biden administration, a decision critics attributed to efforts to bolster U.S.-Nigeria ties ahead of a visit by then-Secretary of State Antony Blinken. The move now opens the door for punitive measures, including restrictions on non-humanitarian aid, trade limitations, or visa bans on Nigerian officials deemed complicit in religious freedom abuses, as outlined in IRFA Section 405.
Trump's statement echoes longstanding advocacy from U.S. religious freedom watchdogs and Republican lawmakers, who have amplified reports of targeted violence against Christians in Nigeria's northern and Middle Belt regions. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), an independent federal advisory body, has recommended Nigeria's CPC status annually since 2009, most recently in its March 2025 Annual Report and a July 2025 Country Update. The USCIRF documented over 7,000 Christian deaths in 2025 alone—averaging 35 per day—from attacks by groups like Boko Haram (Jama'atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda'awati wal-Jihad, or JAS), the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), Fulani militants, and bandit gangs. These non-state actors, some designated as "Entities of Particular Concern" (EPCs) by the U.S., have razed more than 19,000 churches and 2,000 Christian schools since 2009, according to data from the Family Research Council and International Christian Concern.
High-profile incidents underscore the crisis. On Ash Wednesday in February 2025, a Catholic priest was kidnapped and murdered in Benue State, a predominantly Christian area plagued by Fulani herder raids. Palm Sunday in April saw 54 Christians martyred in coordinated attacks across Plateau and Kaduna states. In June, over 200 Christians were slain in Benue by Islamist militants, while a May abduction in Niger State saw 160 children—mostly from Christian families—seized by Ansaru, an al-Qaeda affiliate. Testimonies from survivors in Kaduna's Rijana Forest reveal hundreds of Christians still held captive, subjected to forced conversions and invoked Sharia law as justification for extortion.
U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas), a vocal evangelical leader, has been instrumental in galvanizing support. In September 2025, Cruz introduced the Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act (S.2747), mandating Nigeria's CPC designation and targeted sanctions on officials enforcing Sharia or blasphemy laws that disproportionately affect Christians. "Since 2009, over 50,000 Christians in Nigeria have been massacred, and over 20,000 churches and Christian schools have been destroyed," Cruz stated on Fox News Digital, labeling the violence a "crisis of religious genocide." Cruz's rhetoric, amplified by figures like comedian Bill Maher—who in September decried the "systematic killing" of Christians on HBO—has drawn ire from Nigerian officials.
The Nigerian federal government, led by President Bola Tinubu, has vehemently refuted these claims, insisting the violence stems from terrorism, banditry, and resource conflicts rather than religious targeting. "There’s no religious persecution in Nigeria," Tinubu declared in Owerri on September 30, 2025, emphasizing the nation's multi-faith harmony. Information Minister Mohammed Idris echoed this on October 31, noting that between May 2023 and February 2025, security forces neutralized over 13,500 terrorists, rescued 10,000 hostages, and convicted 700 Boko Haram suspects—actions affecting victims across faiths. Presidential spokesman Sunday Dare accused Cruz and Maher of "piling on false narratives" that "embolden extremists," arguing that bandits kill mosque worshippers and that Nigeria's constitution guarantees religious liberty.
Even some Christian leaders in Nigeria, like Joseph Hayab, former chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria in Kaduna, have pushed back against the "genocide" label. "Things have been better than what they were before," Hayab told the Associated Press, though he condemned every death. Analysts, including those from the Council on Foreign Relations, attribute much of the violence to land disputes exacerbated by climate change and population growth, with farmer-herder clashes in the Middle Belt often taking on a sectarian tint but not meeting the UN's legal definition of genocide—intentional destruction of a group based on identity. Data from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) shows 389 attacks on Christians from 2020-2025 (318 fatalities) versus 197 on Muslims (over 400 deaths), indicating indiscriminate brutality in the Muslim-majority north.
Yet, the USCIRF report paints a bleaker picture, criticizing Nigeria's "slow or unwilling" response, which fosters impunity. Twelve northern states and the federal government enforce blasphemy laws, leading to mob violence and detentions—like the ongoing case of Yahaya Sharif-Aminu, a musician sentenced to death in 2020 for "insulting" Islam. In July 2025, Anambra State demolished an indigenous shrine under Catholic pressure, highlighting intolerance beyond Islamist threats. The European Parliament's February 2025 resolution demanded abolition of these laws, calling them violations of international standards.
Trump's intervention aligns with broader U.S. conservative priorities. Congressman Riley Moore (R-W.Va.), tasked with the investigation, praised the move as a "critical first step" in his October 31 statement, vowing to probe the "slaughtering of Christians" and blasphemy enforcement. Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) introduced H.Res.220 in March, urging CPC status and U.S. aid redirection to civil society. Trump's ambassador-designate for International Religious Freedom, Mark Walker, told Fox News Digital that America must "speak the truth" to pressure Nigeria.
Alliance Defending Freedom International hailed the designation, hoping it compels Nigerian action. However, Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu's media adviser, slammed Cruz's claims as "malicious lies" that ignore Nigeria's religious coexistence. The Nigerian Senate formed a 12-member committee in October to counter the narrative, decrying it as a threat to unity.
As the dust settles, the redesignation could strain U.S.-Nigeria relations, which saw $13 billion in bilateral trade last year. Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation, relies on U.S. security aid to combat Boko Haram, but critics like Moore argue it's time to "suspend arms sales" until protections improve. With over 50,000 Christians reportedly killed since 2009, the global spotlight intensifies on whether diplomatic pressure will yield accountability—or deepen divisions in a country where faith and survival intertwine.
In Nigeria's volatile north, survivors like those in Maiduguri's displacement camps whisper prayers amid ruins, their stories a testament to resilience amid horror. As Trump vows to "save our Great Christian population," the world watches: Will words translate to action, or remain another echo in the halls of power?
