Targeted killings: US Senators push for Nigeria’s return to religious freedom watchlist

Targeted killings: US Senators push for Nigeria’s return to religious freedom watchlist

A group of Republican senators in the United States has called on Secretary of State Marco Rubio to place Nigeria back on the list of “Countries of Particular Concern” (CPC), citing what they described as a surge in violent attacks on Christians and other religious minorities.

The appeal was made in a letter signed by Senators Ted Budd, Josh Hawley, Pete Ricketts, Ted Cruz, and James Lankford. The lawmakers argued that Nigeria continues to witness “unchecked acts of violence and terrorism against religious minorities.”

In their message to Rubio, the Senators wrote: “We write to urge you to consider designating Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) pursuant to the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) to give the President additional authority to take specific actions to address the continued unchecked acts of violence and terrorism against religious minorities perpetrated by nonstate actors in Nigeria.”

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They recalled that Nigeria had first been categorized as a CPC in 2020 under then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, primarily due to atrocities committed by Boko Haram and other extremist groups. However, the designation was lifted by Antony Blinken in 2021.

The lawmakers pointed out that the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) recommended in March this year that Nigeria be returned to the list, following repeated incidents of mass killings, kidnappings, and attacks on Christian communities.

Among the examples cited was the abduction of 160 children by Ansaru militants in Niger State in 2024, and the killing of 70 Christians in Benue State last year. The Senators also referenced more recent bloodshed: “Most recently, in late June 2025, reports suggest that at least 200 Christians in Nigeria were brutally killed by terrorists in Benue state.”

They further highlighted a report suggesting Nigeria accounted for the highest number of Christian killings worldwide during the reporting period.

The Senators also praised former President Donald Trump’s policies on religious liberty, referencing his May 2025 executive order establishing the Religious Liberty Commission and his 2019 address to the United Nations urging global action against religious persecution.

Concluding their letter, they told Rubio: “We are grateful for President Trump and your work to champion our founding freedoms at home, as well as to condemn religious persecution around the world. We hope you will carefully consider designating Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) pursuant to the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA). We look forward to hearing from you.”

The renewed call comes amid growing concern in Washington about escalating violence in Nigeria. The U.S. State Department recently reiterated that it had raised the issue of repeated attacks against Christians and other vulnerable groups “at the highest levels” with the Nigerian government.

International advocacy group Open Doors ranks Nigeria as the seventh most dangerous country for Christians, noting that more believers are killed there than in the rest of the world combined.

Abuja, however, has rejected claims of systematic persecution, dismissing allegations of a targeted genocide against Christians as “false, baseless, despicable, and divisive.”

Targeted killings: US Senators push for Nigeria’s return to religious freedom watchlist