A U.S. congressmember and Christian religious‑freedom advocates are urging the Trump administration to designate Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern amid escalating attacks on Christians after the Biden administration removed the designation.
Approximately three dozen prominent religious freedom leaders have endorsed a letter to President Donald Trump asking the U.S. State Department to place Nigeria back on the CPC list under the International Religious Freedom Act.
The appeal underscores worsening conditions in the Middle Belt, stating that “several years have seen a burgeoning of violent attacks specifically targeting rural Christians in the country's Middle Belt, while the government in Abuja barely lifts a finger to protect them.”
Citing statutory thresholds, the letter argues for action by noting, “U.S. law warrants CPC designation when a country is found to be 'tolerating' serious violations of religious freedom, as well as when itself carries out violations.”
Nigeria’s CPC status—first applied in the final year of the first Trump administration—was removed by the Biden administration in 2021.
The authors contend that Abuja both violates and tolerates abuses: “The Nigerian government is directly violating religious freedom by enforcing Islamic blasphemy laws that carry the death penalty and harsh prison sentences against citizens of various religions. It also demonstrably tolerates relentless aggression uniquely against Christian farming families by militant Fulani Muslim herders, who appear intent on forcibly Islamizing the Middle Belt.”
Notable signers include Nina Shea of the Hudson Institute’s Center for Religious Freedom; former Congressman Frank Wolf, a longtime champion of international religious liberty; Focus on the Family CEO Jim Daly; and Family Research Council President Tony Perkins.
Their letter comes after a similar letter by Rep. Riley Moore, R-W.V., called on Secretary of State Marco Rubio to designate Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern, following a sharp rise in killings, kidnappings and displacement across the West African country.
Moore referenced NGO data estimating that more than 7,000 Christians were killed in Nigeria in the first seven months of 2025, calling it a “horrific slaughter of our brothers and sisters in Christ” in a message on X.
In July, Moore joined Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., to introduce a concurrent resolution denouncing persecution of Christians in Muslim-majority nations and urging the administration to leverage trade and security talks to press for reforms.
Adding to the alarm, Open Doors has continued to report that Nigeria is the deadliest country in the world for Christians, warning that more believers are killed there each year for their faith than in all other countries combined.
