President Donald Trump has designated Nigeria as a “country of particular concern” due to alleged genocide against Christians.

In a message on his X handle Friday night, President Trump stated that the United States cannot remain passive in the face of atrocities occurring in Nigeria and other countries. He affirmed that the United States is prepared to support and protect Christian populations worldwide.

The allegation gained traction following Nigeria’s Vice-President Kashim Shettima’s expression of support for Gaza at the recent United Nations General Assembly, which was met with criticism from certain pro-Christian groups in the United States.

However, several international figures, including a Vatican Cardinal, have dismissed the claims, arguing that both Christians and Muslims are victims of insecurity in Nigeria. Revered Bishop Hassan Kukah of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto also dismissed such claims.

In a post on social media Friday night, Trump said, “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’ — but that is the least of it. When Christians, or any such group, are slaughtered like is happening in Nigeria (3,100 versus 4,476 worldwide), something must be done!”

Trump urged the U.S. Congress to act quickly on the matter. “I am asking Congressman Riley Moore, together with Chairman Tom Cole and the House Appropriations Committee, to immediately look into this matter and report back to me,” he added.

He said the U.S. could not remain silent while such “atrocities” continue in Nigeria and other countries. “We stand ready, willing, and able to save our great Christian population around the world,” he said.

The designation as a Country of Particular Concern is a tool of the US foreign policy aimed at addressing serious human rights abuses. Some International Christian bodies have described the decision as a significant policy signal, renewing international attention on the human rights and religious freedom crisis in Nigeria, where extremist groups such as Boko Haram, ISWAP, and Fulani militants have continued to carry out devastating attacks on Christian communities, often with impunity.

Violent attacks by bandits and other organised groups have occurred in some parts of Nigeria, which are predominantly Christian, especially in the central and northern regions of the country. This brought about the description of such as “Christian Genocide”

Security conditions in Nigeria have declined in recent years, particularly in the north, which is predominantly Muslim. It is believed that since Bola Tinubu took office as President in 2023, thousands of people have been killed, hundreds have been abducted, and more than three million people have been displaced from their homes in central Nigeria.

The recent violence allegedly prompted Sen. Ted Cruz (Republican-Texas) to introduce legislation aimed at holding Nigerian officials accountable for facilitating Islamic jihadist attacks on Christians. Public figures in the media, including Bill Maher, have also called for greater awareness of this persecution and challenged the media to highlight the issue.

It is believed that designating a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) could significantly improve the lives and protection of many Christians in the country by raising awareness of their persecution and exerting pressure on the Nigerian government to act.

This is not the first time that Nigeria has been placed in that category. In 2020, Nigeria was named a Country of Particular Concern, but President Joe Biden lifted Nigeria’s CPC designation in 2021 for unknown reasons.

International Christian Concern President Shawn Wright has welcomed the news of the CPC designation for Nigeria.  In his reaction, he said, “We are deeply grateful for this important recognition. It represents a significant step toward mobilising the global community to confront the atrocities that have devastated so many families and communities in Nigeria. Our prayer is that this designation will encourage other world leaders to follow suit and that it will lead to tangible actions that bring relief and lasting change for those suffering at the hands of violent extremists.”

Definition of a Country of Particular Concern

A “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) is a designation given by the U.S. Secretary of State to a country that engages in or tolerates “particularly severe violations of religious freedom”. The International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) of 1998 defines these violations as systematic, ongoing, and egregious acts such as torture, prolonged detention without charges, forced disappearances, or other flagrant denials of the right to life and liberty.

A Country of Particular Concern (CPC) is a designation by the United States Secretary of State (under authority delegated by the President) of a country responsible for particularly severe violations of religious freedom under the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) of 1998 (H.R. 2431) and its amendment of 1999 (Public Law 106-55). The term “particularly severe violations of religious freedom” means systematic, ongoing, egregious violations of religious freedom, including violations such as:

a) Torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment;

b) Prolonged detention without charges.

c) Causing the disappearance of persons by the abduction or clandestine detention of those persons; or

d) Other flagrant denials of the right to life, liberty, or the security of persons. Nations so designated are subject to further actions, including economic sanctions, by the United States.

In its 2025 Annual Report, USCIRF recommends 16 countries to the U.S. Department of State for designation as Countries of Particular Concern (CPCs) based on their governments’ engaging in or tolerating particularly severe violations of the right to freedom of religion or belief. These include 12 that the State Department designated as CPCs in December 2023: Burma, China, Cuba, Eritrea, Iran, Nicaragua, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan—as well as four additional recommendations: Afghanistan, India, Nigeria, and Vietnam.

The 2025 Annual Report also recommends 12 countries for placement on the State Department’s Special Watch List (SWL) based on their governments’ perpetration or toleration of severe violations of religious freedom. These include two that the State Department placed on that list in December 2023: Algeria, Azerbaijan—as well as 10 additional recommendations: Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Syria, Turkey, and Uzbekistan. While the State Department included Vietnam on its SWL in December 2023, USCIRF believes the government of Vietnam’s violations rise to the level of CPC status.

Implications of Designation as a Country of Particular Concern

Being designated a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) by the US government can lead to consequences like targeted sanctions on individuals, restrictions on foreign aid, and other diplomatic and economic pressure, as it signifies that a country has engaged in or tolerated severe violations of religious freedom. These measures are intended to pressure the country to improve its human rights record.

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