The United States has prepared targeted sanctions and further action to protect Christians in Nigeria following military strikes on Christmas, according to US lawmakers and advocates.
US congressman representative Riley Moore, R-West Virginia, said he will present a report to President Donald Trump that “outlines concrete ways the United States can partner with Nigeria to bring an end to this bloodshed and protect our brothers and sisters in Christ.”
Moore’s office said he would meet with Trump in January with a report including 30 possible actions under the designation of Nigeria as a country of particular concern (CPC).
Moore added that during his visit to Nigeria he met “many who had endured unimaginable suffering, women who had watched their children and loved ones brutally murdered in front of them.”
He said talks with Nigerian leaders were “productive” and aimed at confronting ISIS and Boko Haram in the northeast and stopping “targeted violence against Christians in the Middle Belt by Muslim Fulani radicals.”
This came as he posted on X on Monday that President Donald Trump’s actions were not intended to destabilise Nigeria but to counter terrorism and protect civilians.
“President Trump is not trying to bring war to Nigeria. He is bringing peace and security to Nigeria and to thousands of Christians who face horrific violence and death,” Moore wrote, adding that the US strikes carried out on Christmas Day, in collaboration with Nigerian authorities, had renewed hope among affected communities.
“The strikes against ISIS on Christmas, in coordination with the Nigerian government, have given hope to the Christians in Nigeria,” he stated.
Nina Shea, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, said the strikes could encourage Nigerian authorities to police Islamist Fulani militants and protect Christians.
Sean Nelson, senior counsel with Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) International, said he was “cautiously hopeful” about the outcome of the CPC designation in 2026 and noted plans to challenge Nigeria’s blasphemy laws at the Supreme Court.
US action under the International Religious Freedom Act could include diplomatic, economic, and visa sanctions to defend Christians’ rights.