Thirty-one members of the United States Congress have praised President Donald Trump for designating Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) over alleged persecution of Christians.
The lawmakers described the move as a critical step toward confronting what they termed “a growing Christian genocide” in Africa’s most populous nation.
Their commendations were contained in a statement issued on Tuesday, November 4, 2025, by Rep. Robert Aderholt, Chairman of the House Values Action Team, and sighted by our correspondent on Thursday, November 5, 2025.
According to the statement, the congressional group said President Trump’s decision offered renewed “hope to the people of Nigeria” and underscored Washington’s commitment to defending global religious freedom.
“President Trump’s commitment to end the Christian genocide in Nigeria and his designation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern gives hope to the people of Nigeria. This persecution of Christians must end,” said Congressman Aderholt.
He added that “terrorist groups in Nigeria” had “killed thousands of believers annually,” stressing that the United States must “lead in confronting this violence” and defend people of faith around the world.
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer also commended Trump’s position, stating:
“God bless President Trump for standing up and protecting Christians around the globe. The United States finally has a leader unafraid to do what’s right.”
Similarly, Republican National Committee Chair Lisa McClain described the situation in Nigeria as “a moral outrage and a crime against humanity,” while Reps. Josh Brecheen, Mary Miller, and Mark Alford expressed support for sanctions and increased international pressure on those responsible for religious attacks.
The Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, Rep. Chris Smith, said Trump’s action reinstated the 2020 CPC designation that had been “unjustifiably lifted” by the Biden administration.
“The decision is a powerful step forward in holding the Nigerian government accountable for its complicity in the unchecked murder, rape, and torture of Christians,” Smith stated.
Other lawmakers, including Don Bacon, Andy Biggs, Gus Bilirakis, and Tim Walberg, echoed similar sentiments, urging the U.S. government to deploy “every diplomatic and strategic tool” to safeguard Nigerian Christians and ensure accountability for religious violence.
Trump’s Declaration
Recall that former U.S. President Donald Trump, in a post on his Truth Social platform last Friday, claimed that Christianity faced an “existential threat” in Nigeria, blaming radical Islamist groups for widespread killings.
“Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter. I am hereby making Nigeria a ‘country of particular concern,’” Trump wrote.
He added that the United States “cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening” and pledged that his administration would “stand ready, willing, and able to save our great Christian population around the world.”
Also commending the move, Rep. Riley Moore, one of the lawmakers who championed the issue in Congress, described Trump’s designation as a demonstration of strong leadership and moral conviction.
“I am thankful President Trump made the decision to designate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern, and that the President asked me to lead the investigation into this horrific persecution in Congress.
We can no longer turn a blind eye to the bloodshed of our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. This horrible persecution will end thanks to President Trump,” Moore said.
The bipartisan wave of support, analysts say, reflects growing concern within the U.S. Congress about reports of religious violence and human rights abuses in Nigeria.
Nigeria Dismisses Allegations
Meanwhile, the Federal Government of Nigeria has repeatedly dismissed Washington’s claims of religious persecution, insisting that the country upholds constitutional guarantees of religious freedom.
Addressing journalists in Abuja on Wednesday, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, described the allegations as products of “misrepresentation and misinformation” about Nigeria’s internal security challenges.
He maintained that ongoing violence in parts of the country was driven by criminal and extremist elements, not religious bias.
Similarly, President Bola Tinubu, in a statement issued on November 1, reaffirmed that Nigeria “stands firmly as a democracy governed by constitutional guarantees of religious liberty.”
Tinubu noted that his administration had, since 2023, engaged both Christian and Muslim leaders in efforts to address insecurity affecting citizens “across faiths and regions.”
“The portrayal of Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our national reality,” he said. “Religious freedom and tolerance have been a core tenet of our collective identity and shall always remain so.”
