Nigeria designated as Country of Particular Concern.

Nov 2025 : The designation “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) is a formal action taken by the United States Secretary of State (under authority delegated by the President) under the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) of 1998.

Here is what it means: Severe Violations of Religious Freedom: A country is designated as a CPC if its government has “engaged in or tolerated particularly severe violations of religious freedom”.

​Definition of “Particularly Severe Violations”: The law defines these violations as “systematic, ongoing, and egregious” abuses of religious freedom. They include: ​

• torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment.
• ​Prolonged detention without charges.
• ​Forced disappearance of persons.
• ​Other flagrant denials of the right to life, liberty, or the security of persons based on religion.

Consequences: The designation is a significant diplomatic tool and can lead to actions by the United States, including:

• ​The imposition of economic sanctions.
• ​The withholding of non-humanitarian aid.
• ​Other specific policy responses aimed at pressuring the country to stop the violations.

​Key Points to Remember:

• ​Focus on Religious Freedom: The CPC designation is specifically related to a country’s record on religious freedom, not general human rights violations (though they often overlap).

• ​Annual Review: The U.S. President is required to annually review the status of religious freedom in every country and make these designations.

​Related Designations: IRFA also provides for two other related designations:

• ​Special Watch List (SWL): For countries that engage in or tolerate “severe violations” that do not meet all three criteria (systematic, ongoing, and egregious) for a CPC.
• Entities of Particular Concern (EPC): For non-state actors (like terrorist groups or militias) that engage in particularly severe violations of religious freedom.

US President Donald Trump has announced on 31st October, 2025 that he is designating Nigeria as a “country of particular concern” citing the widespread killings of Christians in the West African country.

Trump’s Truth Social Post reads, “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”.

The President emphasised that action must be taken when people are persecuted for their faith. Trump said he has directed Republican Riley Moore, Republican Tom Cole, and members of the House Appropriations Committee to investigate the situation and report their findings to him.

“The United States cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening in Nigeria, and numerous other Countries”, Trump said. “We stand ready, willing, and able to save our Great Christian population around the World!” The situation for Christians in Nigeria has reached an alarming level. Entire villages have been burned to the ground, worshipers killed during Sunday services, and thousands displaced by Islamist groups sweeping through the country’s northern and central regions.

In June, militants attacked the village of a bishop, just days after he testified before Congress about Christian persecution, leaving more than twenty people dead. Similar assaults in Plateau and Benue states have killed hundreds this year alone. Christians in Nigeria protest against the continued murder of the faithful by Islamists.

According to the international watchdog group Open Doors, nearly 70% of all Christians killed for their faith worldwide last year were in Nigeria. The group warns that Boko Haram, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), and Fulani militant herders are responsible for most of the bloodshed, their often targets are Christian farmers in the country’s Middle Belt. Rights organisations estimate that thousands of believers are murdered every year, while countless others are forced to flee.

Mark Walker, President Trump’s ambassador-designate for International Religious Freedom, told that the United States must do what it can to pressure Nigeria’s government to act. “Even being conservative, it’s probably 4,000 to 8,000 Christians killed annually. This has been going on for years from ISWAP to Islamist Fulani ethnic militias, and the Nigerian government has to be much more proactive”.

Walker, a former pastor and Republican congressman from North Carolina, said that although he has not yet been confirmed, he already works with church networks across Africa to help keep missionaries and local believers safe. “This isn’t about appropriations or politics; this is about human life. We’re talking about boys and girls, about women being kidnapped and horrific things happening. All of us should raise our voices”.

He added that he plans to work closely with Marco Rubio to strengthen U.S. advocacy once confirmed. “Fortunately, we have a Secretary of State who has been one of the stronger voices. He’s already put out statements and is very in tune with what’s going on. I look forward to advising him when it comes to countries of particular concern”.

The White House has also acknowledged a surge in anti-Christian violence across sub-Saharan Africa, where jihadist movements are exploiting political instability and porous borders. Both Pope Leo and the U.S. State Department have condemned recent massacres in Nigeria, warning that the crisis risks spreading beyond the country’s borders. Walker added, “The United States should always stand up for freedom of religion, and that starts with speaking the truth about what’s happening”.

While humanitarian groups continue to raise alarms, Nigerian officials deny that Christians are being systematically targeted. Information Minister Mohammed Idris recently said that claims of mass persecution are “very misleading”, rejecting U.S. reports that tens of thousands have been killed.

Senator Ted Cruz, recently told reporters that “since 2009, over 50,000 Christians in Nigeria have been massacred” and “over 20,000 churches and Christian schools have been destroyed”. He called the violence “a crisis of religious genocide” and urged tougher U.S. action.

Nigeria’s Presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga dismissed the criticism, telling that in Nigeria, “Christians are not targeted. We have religious harmony in our country”.

Despite the political debate, the facts on the ground remain grim. Christian villages are still under attack, churches continue to burn, and millions live in fear. Western governments have issued statements but taken little tangible action to halt the killings or support survivors, said a priest from Plateau State and added, “When the world stays silent, the killers return”.

It can be reiterated that Reverand Dr. Matthew Hassan Kukah, influential Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto recently pleaded with the United States and the global community not to designate Nigeria as a country of particular concern, citing the progress he claimed the administration of President Bola Tinubu has made in Christian – Muslim relations.

Countries Currently Designated CPC –

The most recent formal designations of Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) were made by the U.S. Secretary of State on December 29, 2023, for having engaged in or tolerated particularly severe violations of religious freedom. The twelve countries designated as Countries of Particular Concern are:

Burma (Myanmar); Nicaragua; People’s Republic of China; Pakistan; Cuba; Russia; Eritrea; Iran; Saudi Arabia; Tajikistan; North Korea; Turkmenistan

Related Designations: The Secretary of State also made the following designations on the same date: Special Watch List (SWL) Countries: are countries engaging in or tolerating severe violations of religious freedom that do not meet all of the criteria for a CPC:

Algeria; Azerbaijan; Central African Republic; Comoros; Vietnam

Entities of Particular Concern (EPC):

• Non-state actors that have engaged in particularly severe violations of religious freedom:
• Al-Shabaab
• Boko Haram
• Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS)
• The Houthis
• ISIS-Sahel (formerly known as ISIS in the Greater Sahara)
• ISIS-West Africa
• Jamaat Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM)
• The Taliban

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