By peace Udugba
U.S. President Donald Trump has announced the redesignation of Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC), citing what he described as a genocide against Christians.
In a post shared on his Truth Social account on Friday, Trump claimed that Christianity in Nigeria is facing an existential threat.
“Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter,” he wrote. “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 what is happening in Nigeria (3,100 versus 4,476 worldwide), something must be done,” Trump continued. “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: “The United States 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!
In response, Nigeria’s Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar rejected the accusations, calling them exaggerated and politically motivated. He argued that tensions in certain communities — often over land and resources — are being misrepresented by interest groups as religious persecution.
“This is not new,” Tuggar said. “Certain opposition elements within Nigeria, lobby groups, and even comedians — and they are comedians, we must not forget — have, over the years, tried to push Nigeria onto the U.S. CPC list using false narratives.”
The Nigerian government has come under increasing criticism from U.S. lawmakers and the European Parliament following reports of deadly attacks in Christian-majority areas in the country’s Middle Belt.
U.S. Senator Ted Cruz accused Nigerian officials of “ignoring and even facilitating the mass murder of Christians by Islamist jihadists” and introduced a bill aimed at holding the country accountable for religious freedom violations.
Congressmen Riley Moore and Chris Smith also called for Nigeria to be redesignated as a CPC, with public figures like comedian Bill Maher echoing the claim of a “Christian genocide,” a statement widely criticised as misleading.
Despite mounting pressure from international voices, Nigerian authorities maintain that the conflicts are driven more by socio-economic issues than religious intolerance.
