Nigeria’s government on Wednesday rejected its designation by the United States as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) over alleged religious freedom violations, saying the move was based on misinformation and faulty data.
Last week, President Donald Trump placed Nigeria back on a list of countries that the U.S. says have violated religious freedom. On Saturday, he said he had asked the Defense Department to prepare for possible “fast” military action if Nigeria does not crack down on the killing of Christians.
In a statement posted by the White House on Wednesday, Trump said, “Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. The United States cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening there, and in numerous other countries.”
“We stand ready, willing, and able to save our great Christian population around the world!” he added.
Washington’s decision to designate Nigeria as a violator of religious freedoms has strained diplomatic ties between the two countries.
Defending Nigeria’s record, Information Minister Mohammed Idris told reporters that Trump’s threats of military action were unwarranted and misrepresented Nigeria’s complex security challenges.
“Any narrative suggesting that the Nigerian state is failing to take action against religious attacks is based on misinformation or faulty data,” Idris said.
Nigeria’s Chief of Defense Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede, said Monday the country faces terrorism, not persecution of Christians. The Nigerian presidency has said it would welcome U.S. assistance in fighting Islamist insurgents, provided the country’s territorial integrity is respected.
Idris said President Bola Tinubu’s government has made significant progress in tackling terrorism since taking office in May 2023.
“The government of Nigeria remains open and willing to work closely with the government of the United States, other friendly nations, and partners to achieve our shared goal — the complete elimination of terrorism on Nigerian soil,” Idris said.
More than 13,500 militants have been killed, 17,000 suspects arrested, and over 11,200 hostages — including women and children — rescued, he said.
Idris added that terrorism affects both Christians and Muslims and that the government is committed to ending extremist violence through military action, regional cooperation, and dialogue with international partners.
Nigeria, home to more than 200 ethnic groups practicing Christianity, Islam, and traditional faiths, has a history of coexistence but has also experienced sporadic violence driven by ethnic tensions and competition over scarce resources.
Advocacy groups welcome CPC designation
In October, the heads of CSW-Nigeria, CSW UK, and CSW USA wrote to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio urging the redesignation of Nigeria as a CPC. The Christian persecution advocacy leaders called for greater U.S. pressure on Nigeria to protect vulnerable communities, hold perpetrators of religious violence accountable, address discriminatory policies, and disrupt the financial networks enabling such abuses.
Religious freedom analysts note that Nigeria continues to face deep-rooted religious and ethnic tensions, longstanding discriminatory practices in some Sharia states, and escalating violence from multiple armed groups including Boko Haram, ISWAP, and various militias.
Attacks in central Nigeria have intensified, particularly in Plateau State, where reports of killings, abductions, and sexual violence have sharply increased. Fulani militias have been accused of targeting Christian farming communities for more than a decade, with some incidents also affecting Muslim communities in the northwest.
CSW described a recent incident in which “the regional chairman of the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN) in Barkin Ladi LGA, Rev. Ezekiel Dachomo, related how heavily armed assailants raided a hospital at around 8 p.m. on October 17, abducted two girls — ensuring they were Christians — and gang-raped them for over eight hours before releasing them.”
Earlier this week, CSW’s CEO, Scot Bower, said the CPC designation should prompt Nigeria to urgently address persistent violations of freedom of religion or belief.
He said: “The security situation has worsened, violent non-state actors have proliferated, and mass killings targeting the Christian community in central Nigeria have continued, along with discrimination and violations in Sharia states. We urge Nigeria to engage positively and to view this designation as an opportunity to secure the assistance needed to trace and hold funders, facilitators, and perpetrators of religion-related violations accountable, and to close the protection gap by tackling every source of insecurity definitively.”
Persecution watchdog Open Doors said Nigeria has the highest number of Christians abducted for their faith — 2,830 out of a total of 3,775 worldwide — and the most Christians raped or sexually harassed for their beliefs.
Nigeria ranks seventh on Open Doors’ 2025 World Watch List, which analyzes the top 50 countries where Christians face the most persecution.
(Additional reporting by Reuters)
