The US House of Representatives has agreed to an amendment which could lead to the US withholding 100% of US aid to Nigeria until the country takes effective steps to protect Christians and respond to violence.

The legislation, which was introduced by Florida’s Gregory Stuebe, still requires approval by the US Senate before it can become law.

The amendment followed an initial proposal to withhold 50% of aid, but Stuebe said this would reward the Nigerian government for what he said was a “failure to meet its fundamental obligation to protect citizens”. Describing Nigeria’s government  as “corrupt” he said Christians had been subjected to “horrific” violence and terrorism at the hands of extremists operating with impunity.

Nigeria is ranked number seven on Open Doors’ World Watch List of nations where Christians face severe persecution. More Christians are killed there than in the rest of the world combined. In 2025, 3490 Christians were murdered, a rise of 12.6%.

Reminding the House that “Christian women and girls continue to be abducted, assaulted, tortured, and killed”, Stuebe said US taxpayers shouldn’t allow their money to be “funnelled to corrupt regimes that fail to uphold religious freedom, fail to adequately confront terrorism, and fail to protect the innocent from persecution”.

Last year, Nigeria was redesignated as a 'country of particular concern' by the Trump administration. At the time, the Nigerian President Bola Ahmed disputed claims that Christians were being specifically targeted saying, “The characterisation 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”.