Time to Act: U.S. Senators Rightly Demand Nigeria's Redesignation as a Country of Particular Concern
In a world where religious freedom is increasingly under siege, a group of U.S. Republican senators has taken a principled stand against one of the most egregious offenders. Led by Senator Ted Budd of North Carolina, alongside Senators Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley, James Lankford, and Pete Ricketts, these lawmakers have penned a forceful letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, urging the Trump administration to redesignate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) under the International Religious Freedom Act. This move comes amid mounting evidence of systematic violence against Christians in Nigeria, a nation that has become, by many accounts, one of the deadliest places on earth to practice the faith.
The CPC designation, established by the 1998 International Religious Freedom Act, identifies countries engaging in or tolerating "particularly severe violations of religious freedom." Nigeria earned this label in December 2020 under then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, reflecting the rampant atrocities committed by groups like Boko Haram, ISIS-West Africa, and Fulani militants. Yet, in a decision that drew widespread criticism, Secretary Antony Blinken removed Nigeria from the list in 2021, even as the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) continued to recommend its inclusion. Since that removal, the violence has only escalated. According to a recent Open Doors report cited in the senators' letter, over 3,100 of the 4,476 Christians killed globally for their faith in the latest reporting period were murdered in Nigeria. That's more than 70% of the worldwide total—a staggering statistic that underscores Nigeria's role as a hotspot for faith-based persecution.
Recent incidents paint a grim picture. In late June 2025, terrorists reportedly slaughtered at least 200 Christians in Benue State, part of a pattern that includes mass kidnappings and attacks on villages predominantly inhabited by religious minorities. Earlier, in May 2024, al-Qaeda-affiliated gunmen abducted 160 mostly Christian children in Niger State, killing eight others. These are not isolated events but symptoms of a broader crisis fueled by jihadist ideologies and, critics argue, enabled by governmental inaction or complicity. Since 2009, over 52,000 Christians have been killed in Nigeria, according to some estimates, with Fulani herdsmen—often armed and ideologically aligned with extremist groups—playing a central role.
Biafra Republic Government in Exile (BRGIE) have long highlighted this as state-backed religious persecution, tying it to broader calls for Biafran independence and international sanctions.
Organizations like Amnesty International have called for Nigerian government intervention in affected regions like Benue but often downplay the religious dimension, describing the killings as broader communal violence. A 2020 fact-checking report by Dubawa questioned the "Christian genocide" narrative, suggesting that while Christians are disproportionately affected in certain areas, the violence isn't always targeted solely at faith and includes Muslim victims as well. Even so, these counterarguments ring hollow when confronted with the evidence: churches burned, pastors executed, and communities displaced en masse, often with attackers shouting jihadist slogans.
Genocide Watch has described Nigeria as a "killing field of defenseless Christians," and USCIRF's repeated recommendations affirm the severity of the religious freedom violations.
The Nigerian government's response to such criticisms has been predictably defensive. In past instances, such as a 2024 appeal by Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar to U.S. congressional delegates, officials have urged against redesignation, insisting that Nigeria's constitution protects citizens' rights and denying any state support for the violence. As of September 2025, no official reaction to the Budd-led letter has surfaced, but history suggests Abuja will push back, framing the issue as internal security challenges rather than religious persecution. This stance ignores the reality: Boko Haram, other perpetrators often operate with impunity, raising questions about political will or even tacit approval in a country where northern Muslim elites hold significant power.
The senators' call is not just timely—it's overdue. By redesignating Nigeria as a CPC, the U.S. can impose targeted sanctions, condition aid, and amplify diplomatic pressure to force accountability. This aligns with President Trump's longstanding commitment to religious liberty, as evidenced by his 2019 global call to end persecution and his 2025 executive order establishing the Religious Liberty Commission. Critics of U.S. interventionism might decry this as meddling, but ignoring the slaughter of thousands is not neutrality—it's complicity. The Biden administration's delisting of Nigeria in 2021, amid worsening conditions, was a moral and strategic failure that emboldened extremists.
As the international community watches, the Trump administration has an opportunity to lead. Redesignating Nigeria would send a clear message: Religious freedom is non-negotiable, and those who tolerate its violation will face consequences. For the sake of Nigeria's beleaguered Christians—and the principle of human dignity—the time for action is now.