US makes Nigeria a ‘country of particular concern’ over ‘slaughter’ of Christians, says Trump

US President Donald Trump has redesignated Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) following allegations of a Christian genocide in the West African nation.

In a post on his Truth Social account on Friday, Trump said Christianity faced an “existential threat” in Nigeria, claiming that thousands of Christians have been killed in recent years.

“Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands of Christians are being killed,” Trump wrote.
“I am hereby making Nigeria a ‘COUNTRY OF PARTICULAR CONCERN’.”

The president blamed radical Islamists for what he described as “mass slaughter,” citing figures that suggested 3,100 of 4,476 global Christian deaths occurred in Nigeria although he did not specify the source of the statistics.

Trump added that the United States “cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening in Nigeria and numerous other countries,” and said he had asked Congressmen Riley Moore and Tom Cole, along with the House Appropriations Committee, to investigate the situation.

Lawmakers including Senator Ted Cruz have long called for the CPC designation, with Cruz recently introducing a bill seeking targeted sanctions against Nigerian officials accused of enforcing Sharia and blasphemy laws.

The move marks a return to a policy first implemented in 2020, during Trump’s first term, when Nigeria was similarly designated. The Biden administration later removed the country from the list.

In March 2025, several members of Congress renewed calls for Nigeria’s redesignation and possible sanctions amid claims of ongoing persecution.

Trump’s latest decision comes despite Nigeria’s firm rejection of the allegations.

Last month, President Bola Tinubu dismissed the claims of a religious genocide, insisting that “no religion is under threat” and that Nigeria “is built on the faith and resilience of its people.”

Members of Trump’s own administration have also offered contradictory views. Earlier this month, Massad Boulos, Trump’s senior adviser on Arab and African affairs, said terrorism in Nigeria affects all faiths and ethnic groups, not just Christians.

Similarly, Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin noted that the violence in Nigeria was rooted more in social and economic causes than in religion.

Under US law, when a country is designated a CPC, Congress must be notified to impose policy measures or sanctions aimed at halting “particularly severe violations of religious freedom.”

So far, the Nigerian government has not officially responded to the redesignation.

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