U.S. Congressman Calls for Immediate Redesignation of Nigeria as “Country of Particular Concern” Over Genocide of Christians

Washington D.C., U.S.A – October 7, 2025

In a powerful letter dated October 6, 2025, addressed to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Congressman Riley M. Moore of West Virginia issued a passionate and urgent appeal for the United States to redesignate Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC), a classification reserved for nations that perpetrate or tolerate severe violations of religious freedom.

The letter accuses the Nigerian government of complicity in the systematic persecution and massacre of Christians, warning that the situation has worsened dramatically since President Joe Biden reversed the CPC designation originally imposed under former President Donald Trump.

A Country on Fire: “The Deadliest Place in the World to Be a Christian”

Congressman Moore’s letter paints a devastating picture of Nigeria as a country in religious crisis. Citing data from Open Doors and other international monitors, Moore writes that more than 7,000 Christians have been killed in Nigeria in 2025 alone, an average of 35 per day, with at least 50 Christians brutally murdered on Palm Sunday and another 200 killed in June.

The Congressman calls this relentless slaughter “the deadliest wave of anti-Christian violence anywhere in the world,” warning that “the United States cannot stand idly by.”

According to Moore, Nigeria’s tragedy is not merely the work of extremist factions but the consequence of a deeply entrenched complicity within the Nigerian government, which he says has “downplayed the genocide of Christians under the guise of fighting general terrorism.”

Violence Without End: Attacks, Ransoms, and Displacement

The Congressman’s letter recounts years of atrocities suffered by Nigerian Christians. Since 2015, at least 250 Catholic clergy have been attacked, with another 350 ministers from other denominations also targeted. Between July 2009 and September 2025, Moore notes, more than 19,000 Christian churches were attacked or destroyed, an average of three churches per day for sixteen years.

At least 850 Christians are currently being held hostage in jihadist camps under extreme conditions, many of them tortured or killed if ransom payments are not made.

Citing humanitarian agencies, Moore estimated that 15 million Nigerians have been displaced by “rampant acts of violence and terror.” He pointed specifically to recent Boko Haram attacks in Kirawa, Borno State, that forced thousands to flee their homes.

Government Complicity and Anti-Christian Bias

Moore’s letter does not mince words about what he views as government-enabled persecution. He accuses elements of Nigeria’s political and military establishment of “being complicit, and even directly involved,” in attacks on Christian communities.

In northern states such as Kano, Moore alleges, local authorities have closed Christian orphanages, forcing children to be reeducated as Muslims, while anti-blasphemy laws, some stricter than those of the federal government have resulted in prison sentences of up to 24 years for “insulting the Prophet Mohammed.”

He calls these practices “state-endorsed religious discrimination” and “a moral failure that exposes the weakness of Nigeria’s leadership and its disregard for human rights.”

A Call for Strong U.S. Action

The Congressman implored Secretary Rubio and the Biden administration to restore Nigeria’s CPC status without delay and to withhold arms sales and all technical support until the Nigerian government takes “tangible steps to protect Christians.”

“As a Christian nation founded upon biblical principles, the United States bears a unique obligation to stand for the freedom and protection of Christians worldwide,” Moore wrote. “It is incumbent upon you to reverse last year’s decision and redesignate the country as a CPC. The moment demands that you do so without delay.”

Moore also reminded the administration that the Trump-era designation of Nigeria as a CPC had pressured the Nigerian government to acknowledge religious persecution, but that Biden’s removal of Nigeria from the list in 2021 “gave room for terror to flourish unchecked.”

Why the CPC Designation Matters

Under the U.S. International Religious Freedom Act, a CPC designation triggers punitive measures, including sanctions, suspension of security cooperation, and restrictions on aid. Nigeria’s delisting under President Biden drew strong criticism from religious freedom advocates, who argue that it weakened international scrutiny and emboldened extremist groups like Boko Haram, ISIS-West Africa, and Ansaru.

By reinstating the CPC classification, Moore contends, the U.S. would “signal that the free world will not tolerate state-enabled persecution or genocide against Christians.”

A Genocide Ignored

The Congressman’s language reflects a growing frustration in Washington’s conservative circles, who view Nigeria’s crisis as a genocide unfolding under global silence.

“The Nigerian government’s attempt to dismiss this violence as ‘terrorism that affects all faiths’ is deceitful,” Moore argued. “While all Nigerians suffer under insecurity, it is overwhelmingly Christians who are targeted, slaughtered, and displaced.”

He emphasized that the prevalence of corruption, the absence of accountability, and the spread of Islamist extremism have combined to create a perfect storm of violence, with Christians paying the ultimate price.

The Global Moral Obligation

Moore’s closing remarks are both a condemnation and a call to conscience.

“Until the Nigerian government has taken tangible steps to protect our brothers and sisters in Christ,” he wrote, “the United States must withhold arms, funding, and diplomatic cover. We cannot ignore the religious nature of this scourge of anti-Christian violence. Simply put, this must end.”

The Congressman’s statement comes amid renewed international concern over mass killings in Nigeria’s north and central regions, with Amnesty International, Open Doors, and Human Rights Watch documenting persistent human rights abuses, mass displacements, and state failure to prosecute perpetrators.

As the violence escalates and communities continue to vanish, the world watches whether the United States will respond to Moore’s call or remain, once again, a silent witness to Africa’s forgotten genocide as was the case in Biafra (1967-1970) where over 5 million Biafrans (current day Eastern Nigeria) was massacred.