Follow Up: US Lawmaker Urges Trump to Re-designate Nigeria as ‘Country of Particular Concern’ Over Alleged Christian Genocide
By: Israel Adeleke
OPEN TELEVISION NAIJA (OTN) News reports as gathered that a United States congressman, Rep. Riley M. Moore, has called on President Donald Trump to immediately re-designate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) over what he described as the “systematic persecution and slaughter” of Christians in the country.
OTN News further reports as gathered that in a letter dated October 6, 2025, and addressed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the West Virginia lawmaker urged the U.S. government to suspend all arms sales and related technical support to Nigeria until the government demonstrates a genuine commitment to ending what he called “the reign of persecution and slaughter.”
OTN News observes that Moore’s letter follows a similar push by four Republican senators, led by Senator Ted Cruz, who recently demanded that Nigeria be placed back on the CPC list.
The lawmaker alleged that between January and September 2025 alone, over 7,000 Christians were killed by “Muslim extremist groups,” while at least 250 Catholic priests have been attacked or killed since 2015.
He further claimed that from the onset of the Boko Haram insurgency in 2009 to 2025, no fewer than 19,100 churches had been attacked or destroyed across Nigeria.
“The Nigerian government has failed to protect its Christian population from sustained and coordinated attacks,” Moore wrote. “Until there is verifiable action to end these atrocities, the U.S. must not continue supplying arms or military support.”
Moore’s call comes amid growing international concern over religious violence and security challenges in Nigeria. During his first term in office, President Trump had designated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern, a status reversed by his successor, former President Joe Biden.
Prominent American figures, including Senator Ted Cruz, talk show host Bill Maher, and political commentator Van Jones, have also described the situation in Nigeria as a “Christian genocide.” Speaking recently on Maher’s podcast, Senator Cruz alleged that Christians in Nigeria were being “systematically targeted and killed,” describing the ongoing wave of attacks as “genocide.”
However, the Nigerian government has firmly rejected these allegations, insisting that the country’s security challenges are not religiously motivated.
In a statement on Monday, the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, dismissed the claims as “false, misleading, and capable of inciting division.”
“These foreign commentators are orchestrating wild allegations about an unproven ongoing genocide in Nigeria,” Dare said. “We urge Nigerians and the international community to reject attempts to robe the country with a garment that is not hers.”
He reaffirmed the federal government’s commitment to tackling insecurity in all forms and protecting citizens irrespective of their faith or ethnicity.
Moore’s intervention adds to mounting pressure on Washington to revisit Nigeria’s human rights and religious freedom status, potentially reopening a contentious diplomatic debate between both countries.
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