by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – The U.S. House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa has urged that Nigeria be reinstated as a country of particular concern and face sanctions due to widespread Christian persecution, following a March 12 hearing. This recommendation comes after the Biden Administration had previously removed Nigeria from the list.
Lawmakers strongly rebuked the Nigerian government for its failure to protect Christian communities from escalating violence, as highlighted by numerous human rights groups.
A 2024 report from the Observatory for Religious Freedom in Africa indicates that Nigeria accounts for 90% of the global annual Christian deaths, documenting 55,910 killings and 21,000 abductions from October 2019 to September 2023.
During the hearing, Committee Chairman Chris Smith (R-NJ) cited the dire situation described by Bishop Wilfred Anagbe from Makurdi, stating, “Militant Fulani herdsmen are terrorists. 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.” Both Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), along with Islamic Fulani militants, are significantly targeting Christians, particularly in the north.
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) criticized Nigerian security forces’ failure to halt these attacks and noted some local officials’ complicity. The committee emphasized, “Make no mistake — these attacks are religiously motivated. This ‘religious cleansing’ must stop, and those responsible must be held accountable.”
Further criticism was directed at the Biden administration for removing Nigeria from the Country of Particular Concern (CPC) list, a status reserved for countries with severe violations of religious freedom, established under President Trump in 2020.
Chairman Smith called on President Trump to reengage Nigeria’s CPC designation and to press Nigerian President Bola Tinubu for better protection of Christian communities, stating, “I fully expect President Trump to redesignate Nigeria as a CPC and to take additional steps to support the persecuted church. Last night, I reintroduced a resolution on this issue, and I hope we will have a robust discussion that leads to real action.”
Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
More Worthy News
Fulani herdsmen launched deadly raids on two predominantly Christian villages in Plateau state, Nigeria, on May 3-4, killing six people and injuring dozens, Morning Star News reported.
A sweeping five-day law enforcement operation targeting online child predators led to the arrest of 205 suspects and the rescue of 115 children across the United States, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on May 7.
Friedrich Merz began his first full day as Germany’s new chancellor on Wednesday despite being a politically wounded and weakened leader after failing to win enough parliamentary support in a first vote on Tuesday, which shocked the country’s political establishment.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emphasized that victory in Gaza requires both the defeat of Hamas and the release of hostages during a visit to reservist soldiers at a training base in southern Israel.
Satellite images obtained exclusively by Fox News reveal what an Iranian opposition group claims is a previously undisclosed nuclear weapons facility in Iran’s Semnan Province. The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) asserts that the site, covering nearly 2,500 acres, has been operating for over a decade under the guise of a chemical production company named Diba Energy Siba.
The United States is no longer requiring Saudi Arabia to normalize ties with Israel as a condition for progressing civil nuclear cooperation talks, according to two sources familiar with the matter who spoke to Reuters. This shift comes ahead of US President Donald Trump’s visit to the kingdom next week.
Israel’s new humanitarian aid plan for the Gaza Strip aims to deliver supplies directly to families, but some international aid organizations are refusing to cooperate unless significant changes are made, two Western diplomats told The Jerusalem Post.