Trump designates Nigeria a “country of particular concern,” citing Christian persecution and directing US lawmakers to investigate the killings

US President Donald Trump has announced that Nigeria is being designated a “country of particular concern”, citing the escalating violence and persecution of Christians across the West African nation.

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In a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, on Friday, Trump said Christianity faces an “existential threat” in Nigeria, where thousands of believers have been killed by what he described as “radical Islamists.”

“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,” Trump wrote.

He added that “the United States cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening in Nigeria, and numerous other countries.”

To underscore his stance, Trump said he has directed Rep. Riley Moore (R-W.Va.), Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.), and members of the House Appropriations Committee to launch an investigation into the crisis and present their findings to him.

“We stand ready, willing, and able to save our great Christian population around the world,” he declared.

The former President’s statement comes amid increasing global concern over religious violence in Nigeria. Churches have been attacked, entire villages razed, and worshippers murdered in several northern and central states.

In one of the most recent incidents, militants stormed the village of a bishop who had testified before Congress about Christian persecution, killing over twenty residents.

Similar attacks in Plateau and Benue states this year alone have claimed hundreds of lives, with survivors recounting how gunmen shouted “Allahu Akbar” as they set homes and churches ablaze.

Rights groups have long accused the Nigerian government of failing to protect vulnerable communities from extremist violence, including those carried out by Boko Haram, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), and armed herder militias.

While Nigeria was previously designated a “country of particular concern” by the US State Department in 2020, the classification was lifted under President Joe Biden in 2021 — a move that drew criticism from religious freedom advocates.

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Trump’s renewed designation, though symbolic for now, signals a potential shift in tone within sections of the US political establishment as the 2024 election cycle continues to shape debates over foreign policy and religious liberty.