U.S. Lawmaker Urges Trump To Re-Designate Nigeria As ‘Country of Particular Concern’ — Alleges 7,000 Christians Killed In 2025

A United States lawmaker, Rep. Riley M. Moore, representing West Virginia’s Second District, has raised the alarm over what he described as the “mass persecution of Christians in Nigeria,” urging former President Donald Trump to once again classify the country as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) — a status reserved for nations accused of severe violations of religious freedom.

In a strongly worded letter dated October 6, 2025, addressed to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Rep. Moore called on the U.S. government to immediately suspend arms sales and all technical military assistance to Nigeria until President Bola Tinubu’s administration “demonstrates genuine commitment to ending the reign of persecution and slaughter.”

Citing disturbing figures, Moore alleged that over 7,000 Christians were “gruesomely murdered by Muslim extremist groups” between January and September 2025 alone. He further claimed that at least 250 Catholic priests have been attacked or killed since 2015, adding that “between the Boko Haram uprising in 2009 and 2025, more than 19,000 churches have been attacked or destroyed across Nigeria.”

Moore’s letter reignites a long-standing international debate about Nigeria’s religious freedom and security crisis. He emphasized that Washington must “take a moral stand” by reinstating the CPC designation to “send a clear signal that the United States will not tolerate systematic persecution.”

Naija News recalls that during Trump’s first tenure, Nigeria was officially listed as a Country of Particular Concern, a move hailed by religious freedom advocates. However, the designation was later reversed by former President Joe Biden, sparking criticism from several U.S. conservatives.

The renewed pressure follows mounting concern among American political figures and commentators. Senator Ted Cruz, during a podcast appearance with talk show host Bill Maher, accused the Nigerian government of turning a blind eye to “systematic slaughter,” describing the situation as “nothing short of genocide.”

Likewise, media personality Bill Maher and political analyst Van Jones have repeatedly condemned what they call a “Christian genocide” unfolding in Africa’s most populous nation.

Meanwhile, Nigeria’s Federal Government has dismissed the claims as “grossly exaggerated and politically motivated,” insisting that the country’s security challenges are not religiously driven but rather the result of criminality and terrorism cutting across all faiths and regions.

As international pressure mounts, observers say the U.S. Congress may revisit the debate over Nigeria’s religious freedom status — a move that could have far-reaching diplomatic and security implications for the Tinubu administration.

— Naija News