President Donald Trump on Friday announced that the United States will again designate Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) for what he called the “relentless persecution of Christians” by radical Islamist groups.
The declaration, made as the president arrived at his Mar-a-Lago residence in West Palm Beach, marks a return to a policy first implemented during his previous term but reversed by the Biden administration. The CPC designation, authorized under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, identifies nations engaged in or tolerating “severe violations of religious freedom” and can trigger a range of diplomatic or economic consequences.
“Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social. “Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter.”
The president cited recent data showing thousands of Christian deaths, adding that “when Christians, or any such group, is slaughtered like is happening in Nigeria (3,100 versus 4,476 worldwide), something must be done!”
Trump said he had directed Congressman Riley Moore of West Virginia, along with Representative Tom Cole of Oklahoma and the House Appropriations Committee, to “immediately look into this matter, and report back to me.” He emphasized that the U.S. “cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening in Nigeria, and numerous other Countries.”
“We stand ready, willing, and able to save our Great Christian population around the World,” the president wrote.
The move revives a hardline stance on religious freedom abroad that many conservatives viewed as one of the Trump administration’s most significant moral achievements. Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, has long been the scene of violence between Islamic extremists—most notably Boko Haram and ISIS-affiliated militias—and Christian farming communities. Human rights organizations estimate that thousands of Christians have been murdered in the country’s northern and central regions in recent years.
Congressman Moore, a staunch ally of the president, praised the action on Friday, writing on X that Trump “has always been a champion for Christians around the world.” He added, “I’m grateful for the opportunity to work with you and Chairman Cole @houseappropsgop to defend our brothers and sisters in Christ who are being slaughtered by radical Islamists in Nigeria.”
Other nations currently designated as Countries of Particular Concern include Burma, China, Cuba, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan.
Nigeria was previously placed on the list under Trump’s first term, but the designation was removed by Secretary of State Antony Blinken during President Joe Biden’s administration—despite pleas from religious freedom advocates and church organizations to restore it. Critics said the removal reflected a broader unwillingness by the Biden administration to confront religious persecution when Christians are the victims.
For Trump, the reinstatement of Nigeria’s CPC status underscores a defining theme of his political worldview: that America, as a nation founded on faith, has a moral obligation to defend the persecuted faithful around the globe.
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