President Donald Trump has renewed his criticism of the escalating violence against Christians in Nigeria, urging the Nigerian government to take decisive action.
During a Fox News Radio interview last Friday, Trump expressed deep anger over ongoing massacres targeting Christian communities. “I'm really angry about it,” he said, arguing that the Nigerian government has “done nothing” and calling what's happening in Nigeria “a disgrace.”
The Trump administration is urging Nigeria to curb the escalating attacks on Christian communities by implementing a broad, multi-pronged approach—one that extends beyond unilateral U.S. military involvement and could include even aggressive measures aimed at eliminating the Islamic militants.
A U.S. State Department official told the outlet that the strategy is comprehensive, encompassing the use of force and sanctions, along with increased intelligence sharing with Nigeria, security assistance, policing support, and economic initiatives.
The administration’s diplomatic push intensified earlier this month when Secretary of War Pete Hegseth met with Nigerian National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu.
According to a Pentagon statement, Hegseth “emphasized the need for Nigeria to demonstrate commitment and take both urgent and enduring action to stop violence against Christians,” and reaffirmed U.S. interest in collaborating with Nigerian authorities “to deter and degrade terrorists that threaten the United States.”
The pressure follows a wave of horrifying assaults, including the abduction of students from a Catholic school and from another institution in a Muslim-majority region. In a separate incident, attackers stormed a church and left several worshipers dead or kidnapped.
Worldwide concern over the crisis in Nigeria has grown. Rapper Nicki Minaj recently condemned the violence, declaring that “no group should ever be persecuted for practicing their religion,” during a U.N. event hosted by the United States.
Although Trump has repeatedly accused Abuja of failing to respond adequately, the Nigerian government has maintained that it is confronting the threats and denies allegations of inaction.
On Oct. 31, Trump vowed to restore Nigeria’s designation as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) due to continued Islamist violence targeting Christians. “Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter,” he posted on Truth Social.
He pointed to the CPC list, which includes countries that commit or tolerate “systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom,” a designation that can trigger sanctions or diplomatic measures. Nigeria was first added to the list in 2020 but was removed by the Biden administration in 2021, which concluded that the violence was not primarily religious in nature.
New data from ADF International, citing research from Open Doors, reports that more than 7,000 people have been killed in Nigeria this year—an average of 35 deaths per day—and over 19,000 churches have been attacked or destroyed.
Nigeria continues to be one of the most perilous countries for Christians, according to the 2025 World Watch List published by Open Doors.
“The measure of anti-Christian violence in the country is already at the maximum possible under World Watch List methodology,” the report stated. Nigeria ranked seventh on the 2025 WWL list of the 50 worst countries for Christians.
In Nigeria’s North-Central region, where Christians are more prevalent than in the North-East and North-West, Islamic extremist Fulani militias frequently attack farming communities, killing many hundreds, primarily Christians, according to the report.
Jihadist groups such as Boko Haram and the splinter group Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP), among others, are active in the country’s northern states. In these areas, federal control is weak, and communities face raids, sexual violence, roadblock killings, and increased abductions for ransom, the report states.
