The United States House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa has given former President Donald Trump the green light to impose sanctions on Nigeria in response to the ongoing persecution and killing of Christians in the country.
The decision followed a congressional hearing on Wednesday, March 12, where lawmakers strongly condemned the Nigerian government for failing to protect Christian communities from escalating violence.
Citing a 2024 report by the Observatory for Religious Freedom in Africa, the committee noted that Nigerians accounted for 90 percent of all Christians killed worldwide each year. The report documented that between October 2019 and September 2023, an alarming 55,910 people were killed, while 21,000 others were abducted by terrorist groups operating in the region.
During the hearing, Committee Chairman Chris Smith underscored the severity of the crisis, referencing testimony from Bishop Wilfred Anagbe of the Diocese of Makurdi, Nigeria.
One of our distinguished witnesses today ”Bishop Wilfred Anagbe”travelled a long distance to be with us, and his testimony is both compelling and disturbing,bSmith said.
Labeling militant Fulani herdsmen as terrorists, Smith added: They steal and vandalize, they kill and boast about it, they kidnap and rape, and they enjoy total impunity from elected officials. None of them have been arrested or brought to justice.
The congressional report reinforced the religious nature of the attacks, stating, Denying this reality contradicts the overwhelming evidence we have seen with our own eyes. This ‘religious cleansing must stop, and those responsible must be held accountable.â€
The subcommittee harshly criticized Nigeria’s handling of religiously motivated violence, despite constitutional protections for religious freedom. Lawmakers also expressed concern over the country’s judicial system, citing cases where blasphemy laws have been used to suppress Christian communities.
The Government of Nigeria has made little progress in addressing the persecution of Christians, even though religious freedom is enshrined as a fundamental human right in its Constitution, the report stated.
It pointed out contradictions in Nigeria’s legal system, particularly in laws that criminalize blasphemy, some of which even carry the death penalty.
Smith blamed the previous administration of President Joe Biden for weakening U.S. pressure on Nigeria by removing the country from the Country of Particular Concern (CPC) list. He noted that during Trump’s first term, Nigeria had been designated as a CPC, but despite four consecutive years of recommendations (2021-2024) from the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), the Biden administration failed to reinstate it.
Under President Biden, Nigeria was removed from the CPC list, despite overwhelming evidence that religious persecution had worsened, Smith stated. This decision ignored the repeated recommendations of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.
Calling for swift action, Smith urged former President Trump to reinstate Nigeria’s CPC status and engage directly with Nigerian President Bola Tinubu to ensure better protection for Christian communities.
I fully expect President Trump to redesignate Nigeria as a CPC and to take additional steps to support the persecuted church, he said. “Last night, I reintroduced a resolution on this issue, and I hope we will have a robust discussion that leads to real action.
With Congress now approving the imposition of sanctions, all eyes are on the Trump administration next steps in addressing religious persecution in Nigeria.
