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| President Trump |
The United States House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa has approved President Donald Trump to impose strict sanctions on Nigeria due to the ongoing killing of Christians in the country. This decision came after a congressional hearing on March 12, where lawmakers criticized the Nigerian government for failing to protect Christian communities from escalating violence.
The subcommittee referenced a 2024 report by the Observatory for Religious Freedom in Africa, which revealed that Nigerians accounted for 90% of Christians killed globally each year, with 55,910 deaths and 21,000 abductions recorded between October 2019 and September 2023 — largely attributed to terrorist groups, including militant Fulani herdsmen.
Committee Chairman Chris Smith emphasized the severity of the crisis, citing the testimony of Bishop Wilfred Anagbe from Nigeria, who described the attacks as "religious cleansing" and condemned the impunity enjoyed by the perpetrators.
Lawmakers accused the Nigerian government of weaponizing the judicial system against Christians, pointing to blasphemy laws used to target religious minorities. Despite Nigeria’s constitutional protection of religious freedom, they highlighted contradictions in laws that criminalize blasphemy, some carrying the death penalty.
The panel also criticized the Biden administration for removing Nigeria from the "Country of Particular Concern" (CPC) list — a designation introduced during Trump’s first term — despite consistent recommendations from the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (2021–2024) to reinstate it.
Chairman Smith urged Trump to restore Nigeria’s CPC status and engage directly with Nigerian President Bola Tinubu to safeguard Christian communities, vowing to push for real action to address the ongoing persecution.