Representative Smith criticized the previous administration under President Joe Biden for removing Nigeria from the U.S. list of Countries of Particular Concern (CPC), a designation intended to hold nations accountable for severe violations of religious freedom. He stressed the need for Trump to reinstate Nigeria’s CPC status and engage directly with President Bola Tinubu to address the crisis.
Washington, D.C. – The United States House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa has granted President Donald Trump the authority to impose severe sanctions on Nigeria in response to escalating attacks on Christians in the West African nation.
During a recent hearing, the subcommittee highlighted alarming statistics indicating that Nigerians account for 90% of Christians killed worldwide each year. Citing a report from the Observatory for Religious Freedom in Africa, lawmakers noted that between October 2019 and September 2023, approximately 55,910 people were killed, with 21,000 abducted in terror-related incidents.
Chairman of the subcommittee, Representative Chris Smith, expressed grave concerns over the deteriorating security situation in Nigeria, particularly the unchecked violence perpetrated by militant Fulani herdsmen. He emphasized that these groups operate with impunity, engaging in widespread killings, kidnappings, and destruction of property without facing justice.
“These are terrorists,” Smith stated. “They steal, they destroy, they kill, and they boast about their actions. Yet, no meaningful action has been taken against them by the government.”
Bishop Wilfred Anagbe of the Diocese of Makurdi, Nigeria, was among those who testified before the committee, providing firsthand accounts of the violence targeting Christian communities.
The subcommittee’s report accused the Nigerian government of failing to protect its Christian population despite constitutional guarantees of religious freedom. It also condemned the country’s judicial system, which it claimed has been used to suppress Christians, particularly through controversial blasphemy laws that, in some cases, carry the death penalty.
“The Nigerian government has not made sufficient progress in addressing religiously motivated violence,” the report stated. “There are glaring contradictions in the legal framework that undermine religious pluralism.”
Calls for U.S. Action
Representative Smith criticized the previous administration under President Joe Biden for removing Nigeria from the U.S. list of Countries of Particular Concern (CPC), a designation intended to hold nations accountable for severe violations of religious freedom. He stressed the need for Trump to reinstate Nigeria’s CPC status and engage directly with President Bola Tinubu to address the crisis.
Smith further urged Congress and the Trump administration to prepare for sanctions if the Nigerian government does not take immediate action to curb the violence.
“I have reintroduced a resolution to ensure that this issue receives the attention it deserves,” he stated. “If necessary, we must be ready to impose sanctions because where pressure is applied, change happens. Without it, the cycle of violence will continue.”
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