The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has once again urged the U.S. State Department to designate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) due to severe and ongoing violations of religious freedom.
According to Baptist Press (BP), This call follows a devastating attack on June 13, when militants from the Fulani community slaughtered 200 internally displaced Christians in Yelewata, Benue.
USCIRF reiterated its urgent appeal on June 18, emphasizing that “the abhorrent violence in Nigeria’s Middle Belt and the systematic, ongoing, and egregious attacks throughout Nigeria against Christians and Muslims are indications that government prevention efforts are failing and not protecting vulnerable religious communities.”
USCIRF Chair Vicky Hartzler stated, “U.S. government foreign assistance to Nigeria should efficiently and effectively support efforts to protect religious freedom.”
Commissioner Mohamed Elsanousi, the Executive Director of the Network for Religious and Traditional Peacemakers, added in the appeal, “Further efforts are needed to reduce violence and preserve freedom of religion or belief for all Nigerians.” He urged the U.S. government to “use foreign assistance to address conflict resolution and enhance security sector training so vulnerable religious communities can be better protected.”
Since 2009, the commission has consistently urged the State Department to designate Nigeria as a CPC due to egregious, systemic, and ongoing violations of religious liberty, according to BP.
International religious freedom organization CSW reported that terrorists have killed more than 5,700 in Benue since 2011 and more than 150,000 people have been displaced based on figures from the Benue NGO Network.
Recently, during Lent and Easter in April, over 240 Christians were massacred in attacks on villages in Plateau and Benue states, and the displacement caused by the violence continued to rise, with at least 6,500 people fleeing their homes in June alone.
Scot Bower, CEO of CSW for the U.K., said, “The international community must recognize that the violence that has been unfolding in Nigeria’s Middle Belt for over a decade now bears all the hallmarks of an atrocity crime.” He urged the community “to respond accordingly by demanding that Nigeria recalibrates its military strategy and resource its armed forces to address the national security threat posed by the Fulani militia and other armed non-state actors as a matter of utmost urgency.”
According to Open Doors, Nigeria is the deadliest country for Christians, with 3,100 Christian deaths recorded in 2024. Since 2000, it is estimated that approximately 62,000 Christians have been killed for their faith in Nigeria, as reported by Genocide Watch.
