3/17/2025 Nigeria (International Christian Concern) — The U.S. House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa has approved measures urging President Donald Trump to impose sanctions on Nigeria due to the widespread persecution of Christians, following a congressional hearing on March 12.
Lawmakers condemned the Nigerian government for its failure to protect Christian communities from escalating violence, citing alarming data from multiple human rights organizations. A 2024 report by the Observatory for Religious Freedom in Africa revealed that Nigeria accounted for 90% of all Christians killed globally each year. The report documented that between October 2019 and September 2023, at least 55,910 people were killed, and 21,000 others were abducted by terrorist groups operating in the country.
During the hearing, Committee Chairman Chris Smith (R-NJ) emphasized the severity of the crisis, referencing firsthand testimony from Bishop Wilfred Anagbe of the Diocese of Makurdi, Nigeria.
“Militant Fulani herdsmen are terrorists. They steal and vandalize, they kill and boast about it, they kidnap and rape, and they enjoy total impunity from elected officials,” Smith stated. “None of them have been arrested or brought to justice.”
Nigeria has consistently ranked among the deadliest countries for Christians, according to various organizations tracking global religious persecution.
International Christian Concern (ICC) reported that in 2023 alone, thousands of Christians were killed in Nigeria, with entire villages burned down by extremist groups.
“Terrorism, violent militancy, and local unrest continue to rock Nigeria’s many fragile Christian communities,” an ICC staffer said in ICC’s 2025 Global Persecution Index.
Islamic terror groups Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) are killing Christians in the northeast, while Islamic Fulani militants regularly kill Christians throughout the north. Fulani militants have killed more Christians than Boko Haram in Plateau, Benue, Niger, Nasarawa, and Southern Kaduna states.
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has also warned that Nigeria’s security forces have failed to curb the violence and that in some cases, local officials have been complicit.
Lawmakers at the hearing expressed serious concerns about the Nigerian government’s failure to act, despite constitutional protections for religious freedom. The subcommittee’s report criticized Nigerian authorities for allowing extremist groups to operate with near-total impunity.
“Make no mistake — these attacks are religiously motivated,” the committee’s findings stated. “Denying this reality contradicts the overwhelming evidence we have seen. This ‘religious cleansing’ must stop, and those responsible must be held accountable.”
The panel also raised concerns about Nigeria’s judicial system being used to suppress Christian communities. Blasphemy laws, enforced in several northern states under Sharia law, have been weaponized against religious minorities. In extreme cases, these laws carry the death penalty.
“The Government of Nigeria has made little progress in addressing the persecution of Christians, even though religious freedom is enshrined as a fundamental human right in its Constitution,” the report noted.
Lawmakers criticized the Biden administration for weakening pressure on Nigeria by removing it from the Country of Particular Concern (CPC) list — a designation given to nations that engage in or tolerate severe violations of religious freedom. Nigeria was first placed on the CPC list under President Trump in 2020.
“Under President Biden, Nigeria was removed from the CPC list, despite overwhelming evidence that religious persecution had worsened,” Smith stated. “This decision ignored the repeated recommendations of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.”
Smith urged Trump to reinstate Nigeria’s CPC designation and to engage directly with Nigerian President Bola Tinubu to ensure greater protection for Christian communities.
“I fully expect President Trump to redesignate Nigeria as a CPC and to take additional steps to support the persecuted church,” Smith said. “Last night, I reintroduced a resolution on this issue, and I hope we will have a robust discussion that leads to real action.”
As international pressure mounts, human rights organizations continue to call for urgent intervention to halt the systematic targeting of Christians in Nigeria. The proposed U.S. sanctions could mark a turning point in holding the Nigerian government accountable for its failure to protect religious minorities.
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