By Amofokhai Williams
In a stark rebuke to what he described as an “existential threat” to Christianity, President Donald Trump announced on Friday that the United States is designating Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) under the International Religious Freedom Act, citing the slaughter of thousands of Christians by radical Islamist groups.
The move, outlined in a fiery Truth Social post, escalates U.S. diplomatic pressure on the West African nation and signals a broader Trump administration push to safeguard global Christian communities.
“Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter,” Trump wrote.
“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!”
The president went on to call on key congressional figures for immediate action.
He added: “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!”
This designation revives a policy Trump first implemented in December 2020 during his initial term, which was later reversed by the Biden administration.
As a CPC, Nigeria now faces potential U.S. sanctions, including restrictions on foreign aid and trade privileges, aimed at compelling the Nigerian government to curb religious violence.
The State Department echoed the president’s concerns in a statement, noting it is “deeply concerned about the levels of violence against Christians and members of other groups in Nigeria.”
The announcement comes amid a surge in documented attacks on Nigerian Christians, particularly in the volatile Middle Belt region, where ethnic and religious tensions intersect with resource disputes between predominantly Muslim Fulani herders and Christian farmers.
According to the international advocacy group Open Doors, Nigeria ranks seventh on its 2025 World Watch List of the most dangerous places for Christians, with more believers killed for their faith there than in the rest of the world combined.
The organization reports that jihadist groups like Boko Haram, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), and Fulani militants have razed thousands of churches and schools since 2009, displacing over 3 million people and claiming at least 50,000 Christian lives in that span—a figure contested but substantiated by multiple NGOs.
Trump’s post specifically referenced 3,100 Christian deaths in Nigeria compared to 4,476 globally over the past year, drawing from Open Doors data that underscores the disproportionate toll in Africa’s most populous nation.
Nigerian officials have pushed back against narratives framing the crisis as a targeted “Christian genocide,” arguing it stems from broader insecurity and terrorism affecting all faiths.
Sunday Dare, spokesperson for President Bola Tinubu, dismissed similar claims by Cruz as “careless rhetoric that fuels misunderstanding,” emphasizing that “Nigeria is not witnessing a Christian genocide; it is confronting terrorism that targets everyone.”
Al Jazeera opinion pieces have echoed this, cautioning that oversimplifying farmer-herder clashes and Boko Haram insurgencies risks propaganda and ignores Muslim victims.
