President Donald Trump has again designated Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC), citing what he described as an ongoing “Christian genocide” in parts of the country.
Trump made the announcement in a post on Truth Social on Friday, declaring that the U.S. “must stand firmly for religious freedom and against the persecution of Christians anywhere in the world.”
The move marks a return to a controversial policy first implemented during Trump’s previous administration in December 2020, when Nigeria was listed under the International Religious Freedom Act as a nation guilty of or tolerating severe violations of religious liberty. 
However, that designation was revoked in 2021 by former President Joe Biden, a decision that drew backlash from several religious advocacy groups, U.S. lawmakers, and human rights organizations, who insisted that attacks on Christians in Nigeria had only worsened in recent years.
Trump’s latest decision comes shortly after U.S. Congressman Riley M. Moore of West Virginia’s Second District urged the administration to reclassify Nigeria as a CPC, describing the situation as “systematic persecution and slaughter of Christians.”
The redesignation is expected to intensify diplomatic tensions between Washington and Abuja, especially as the Nigerian government continues to deny allegations of state complicity in religiously motivated violence across parts of the country.
