The State Department on Monday officially updated its designation for Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” for its alleged severe violations of religious freedom and persecution of Christians.
The secretary of state is responsible for deeming a country a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC).
Congress will investigate Trump called on Rep. Riley Moore, a Republican from West Virginia, to lead an investigation into the alleged slaughtering of Christians in Nigeria.
Last month, he called on Secretary of State Marco Rubio to designate Nigeria as a country of particular concern.
Trump gets celebrity endorsement Rapper Nicki Minaj thanked Trump for his tweet addressing persecution of Christians in Nigeria over the weekend.
In light of Nigeria’s alleged serious abuses of religious freedom and persecution of Christians, the State Department formally revised its designation of the country as a “Country of Particular Concern” on Monday.
The U is responsible for assigning the CPC label. S. In accordance with the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, the government of countries “engaged in severe violations of religious freedom”. Although the title is mostly symbolic, U. A. Governments are required by law to “respond specifically to violations of religious freedom.”. “,”.
Following President Donald Trump’s accusations that the Nigerian government was not doing enough to shield Christians from violence, the action was taken. Along with warning the Pentagon to get ready for potential action in Nigeria, he also threatened to cut U.S. S. help.
A nation’s designation as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) is up to the secretary of state. The People’s Republic of China, Cuba, Eritrea, Iran, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Burma are among the other nations that have been named CPCs.
During his first term, Trump had previously designated Nigeria as a CPC in December 2020; however, the Biden administration reversed that designation the following year.
Nigeria was taken off the CPC designation list in November 2021 by Biden Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who determined that the country did not fit the requirements for a formal designation of concern due to “systematic, ongoing, and egregious” violations of religious freedom.
The U. A. When Nigeria was removed from the special designation, the Commission on International Religious Freedom denounced the action as “unexplainable” and “horrible.”.
The International Religious Freedom Act mandates an annual assessment of the state of religious freedom around the world and the identification of nations that have “engaged in or tolerated particularly severe violations of religious freedom” during the reporting period, according to the State Department.
As per the State Department, “systematic, ongoing, egregious violations of religious freedom, including violations such as torture, degrading treatment or punishment, prolonged detention without charges, abduction or clandestine detention, or other flagrant denial of the right to life, liberty, or the security of persons,” are considered particularly severe violations of religious freedom under the IRFA.
According to the State Department, once a nation has been designated a CPC by the secretary of state, Congress is informed. In cases where non-economic policy options intended to stop particularly severe violations of religious freedom have been reasonably exhausted, an economic measure must typically be implemented.
Congress is going to look into this.
Trump visited Rep. Riley Moore, a West Virginia Republican, will head an inquiry into the purported killings of Christians in Nigeria. In Africa, Moore has been an outspoken supporter of Christians. He urged Secretary of State Marco Rubio to name Nigeria a nation of special concern last month.
Moore said he and Tom Cole, the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, and the House Foreign Affairs Committee would look into the alleged religious persecution and praised Trump’s action over the weekend.
August: Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas introduced a bill that would designate Nigeria as a CPC and impose sanctions on the country for alleged religious freedom violations.
The House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa heard testimony on “Conflict and Persecution in Nigeria” and the argument for Nigeria’s CPC designation in March 2025.
More than 7,000 Christians have been killed in Nigeria in 2025 alone, or 35 every day on average, according to Moore’s office. Hundreds more have been abducted, tortured, or displaced by extremist groups like Boko Haram, ISIS West Africa, and Fulani militants. More than 19,000 Christian churches have been attacked or destroyed since 2009, and reports suggest that between 50,000 and 100,000 Christians have been killed, according to Moore’s office. Nigeria kills more Christians annually than the rest of the world combined, according to data from Open Doors.
However, there has been much disagreement over those figures.
Extremist violence in Nigeria “affects large numbers of Christians and Muslims in several states across Nigeria,” according to a 2024 report by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom.
Both Muslims and Christians, the two largest religious communities in the nation of over 230 million people, have been attacked by radical Islamists, according to experts.
“The portrayal of Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our national reality, nor does it take into consideration the consistent and sincere efforts of the government to safeguard freedom of religion and beliefs for all Nigerians,” wrote Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in response to Trump’s and other lawmakers’ accusations. “..”.
Trump vows to stop U.S. S. assistance.
The U. S. agreed to provide Nigeria with about $1.02 billion in aid for the fiscal year 2023, according to U. A. government representatives.
The reported amount of aid for FY2024 was $902 million, a slight decrease.
It is estimated that Nigeria will receive even less foreign aid in FY2025; although the data is not complete, about $550 million has already been committed for the year. How much aid Trump is thinking of reducing is unknown.
Although the U.S. A. cuts to every U.S. agency and the Agency for International Development. A. overseas assistance, the U. S. . In September 2025, the government reportedly pledged $32.5 million to Nigeria, which would “provide food assistance and nutrition support to internally displaced persons across conflict-affected areas,” according to the U.S. A. Nigerian consulate and embassy.
Celebrities back Trump.
Trump’s tweet over the weekend about the persecution of Christians in Nigeria was praised by rapper Nicki Minaj. Minaj is Trinidadian, not Nigerian.
“I felt a great sense of thankfulness after reading this. We are able to freely worship God in our nation. Minaj stated on X that no group should ever face persecution for following their faith. “Respect for one another does not require that we hold the same beliefs. It’s risky to act as though we are unaware of the horror that is affecting so many nations worldwide. We appreciate the President and his staff taking this seriously. May God bless all Christians who are persecuted. Remember to pray for them. “,”.
U. S. . Minaj’s use of her platform to advocate for the persecuted Christians in Nigeria was praised by Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz. “,”.
Additionally, he asked her to go into further detail about the administration’s efforts to safeguard Christians globally. “We cannot allow this to continue,” Waltz continued. The statement “Enough!” must be uttered by all of Christ’s brethren.
