US President Donald Trump on Friday listed Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) over what he called an “existential threat” to the African nation’s Christian population.
Read Also: Christians facing ‘existential threat’ in Nigeria – Trump
The decision follows months of lobbying by US officials, who argue that Christians in Africa’s most populous country are facing a “genocide” — a claim that Abuja denies.
What is the situation?
Nigeria is consumed by security issues. Its northeastern region is at the epicentre of a Boko Haram jihadist insurgency, which has killed more than 40,000 people and displaced more than two million since 2009, according to the United Nations.
Boko Haram and a splinter group, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), remain active despite being weakened in recent years.
In central Nigeria, majority-Muslim herders have repeatedly clashed with majority-Christian farmers. The conflict is frequently portrayed as inter-religious but generally stems from competition over land access.
In the northwest, communities are terrorised by criminal gangs known locally as “bandits”: they attack villages, kill and kidnap in exchange for ransoms and set houses alight after pillaging them.
“There is no genocide, now or ever, in Nigeria,” Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar said on X on Saturday.
Who is behind the accusations?
– Conservative politicians. In March, US Congressman Chris Smith called for Nigeria to be listed as a CPC, and in early October, US Senator Ted Cruz and Congressman Riley Moore accused the Nigerian government of turning a blind eye to the “massacre” of Christians.
Their statements resonated with elements of the European far-right, including Polish member of the European Parliament Dominik Tarczynski.
Pro-Christian organisations. In 2023, the NGO Open Doors published a report, which stated that “89 percent of Christians martyred worldwide are in one country – Nigeria”.
The Dutch organisation is engaged in Christian proselytism worldwide, particularly through Bible distribution, and its report is regularly cited by US politicians calling for sanctions against Nigeria.
In 2023, its US branch broke away to launch its own organisation, Global Christian Relief — also building a narrative to frame Nigeria as “the world’s centre of Christian martyrs”.
Biafran separatists. Named after the southern region that was ravaged by a civil war between 1967 and 1970, which claimed at least one million civilian lives, Biafran separatists have long argued that Christians are persecuted in Nigeria.
The exiled Biafra Republic Government, led by separatist Simon Ekpa, has hired a lobbyist in Washington, former Congressman Jim Moran, to raise awareness about its separatist aims and alleged Christian persecution.
What do the numbers say?
Ladd Serwat, senior Africa analyst at the US think tank Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED), told AFP that Islamist violence is “indiscriminate” and does not respect religious differences.
Claims that up to 100,000 Christians have been killed are “exaggerated”, said Serwat.
According to ACLED data provided to AFP, 52,915 civilians have been killed in targeted political assassinations since 2009, including both Muslims and Christians.
The data shows that there were at least 389 cases of violence targeting Christians between 2020 and 2025, resulting in at least 318 deaths. During the same period, 197 attacks targeted Muslims, causing at least 418 deaths.
What consequences for Nigeria?
Nigeria’s CPC designation may lead to US sanctions against Abuja, such as economic measures or travel restrictions.
Trump had listed Nigeria as a CPC during his first mandate, but the decision was reversed by his successor Joe Biden.
The United States restricted visas for Nigerians in July, limiting them to three months, as part of the Trump administration’s migration crackdown.
Massad Boulos, Trump’s senior advisor for Arab and African affairs, said in mid-October that jihadist groups in Nigeria “are killing more Muslims than Christians”.
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