U.S. President Donald Trump has redesignated Nigeria as a “country of particular concern” (CPC) in response to allegations of widespread persecution of Christians in the country.
Announcing the decision on Truth Social on Friday, Trump warned that “Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria,” claiming that thousands of Christians have been killed by “radical Islamists.”
“I am hereby making Nigeria a ‘COUNTRY OF PARTICULAR CONCERN,’” Trump declared, adding that the U.S. cannot remain silent while such atrocities occur. He cited figures suggesting that 3,100 of the 4,476 Christians reportedly killed worldwide this year were Nigerians, though he did not specify the source of these statistics.
Trump said he would urge Congressmen Riley Moore and Tom Cole, along with the House Appropriations Committee, to immediately investigate the matter. Moore, alongside Senator Ted Cruz, has previously pushed for Nigeria’s redesignation and pressed Secretary of State Marco Rubio to act.
Under U.S. law, a CPC designation is made by the Secretary of State under authority delegated by the president.
In September, Cruz introduced a bill calling for sanctions against Nigerian officials enforcing Sharia and blasphemy laws, as well as Nigeria’s reinstatement on the CPC list. That bill came weeks before Trump signed a memo labeling ideologies “anti-American, anti-capitalist, and anti-Christian” as forms of domestic extremism.
Nigeria was first listed as a CPC in 2020 during Trump’s previous term but was removed by the Biden administration. Calls to restore the designation resurfaced in March when Congress reviewed proposals urging sanctions on Nigeria.
Trump’s move comes despite strong denials from Nigerian officials. President Bola Tinubu recently dismissed claims of a religious genocide as baseless, emphasizing that Nigeria is a nation built on faith, unity, and resilience, with no religion under threat.
Trump’s own adviser on Arab and African affairs, Massad Boulos, also refuted the genocide claims, saying that terrorism in Nigeria affects people of all faiths and ethnicities. Similarly, Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin attributed the violence in Nigeria to broader social issues rather than religious conflict.
A CPC designation requires the U.S. Congress to consider non-economic measures to address severe violations of religious freedom, with economic sanctions as a last resort.
As of now, Nigeria has not officially responded to the U.S. president’s announcement.
