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By Jordan King
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The State Department has told Newsweek that it is “deeply concerned about the levels of violence against Christians and members of other groups in Nigeria.”
It comes after American comedian Bill Maher brought attention to the high number of Christians being killed by Islamic militant groups such as Boko Haram in parts of Nigeria.
The country has generally pushed back against narratives that Christians are being “systematically killed” in a “genocide attempt,” as Maher described it, with Nigeria's Ministry of Foreign Affairs saying in March that the terrorism in the country is “not driven by religious bias, nor targeted against any particular religious group.”
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Why It Matters
The Trump administration’s public concern over violence against Christians in Nigeria underscores both the scale of the crisis and international divisions over how to respond.
International Christian advocacy group Open Doors lists Nigeria as the seventh-most dangerous place for Christians on its World Watch list.
In the top six countries on the list, which is headed by North Korea, much smaller numbers of Christians are involved, and the group says that "more Christians are killed for their faith in Nigeria than in the rest of the world combined."
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What To Know
Earlier this year, Congress held a hearing in which the Committee on Foreign Affairs’ Africa Subcommittee called for Nigeria to be classed as a Country of Particular Concern—a U.S. State Department designation under the International Religious Freedom Act for countries whose governments "engage in or tolerate particularly severe violations of religious freedom”—but the list has not been updated since December 2023.
“The United States remains deeply concerned about the levels of violence against Christians and members of other groups in Nigeria, including the threats posed by terrorist groups like Boko Haram and ISIS-West Africa in northern Nigeria. We have raised these issues with the Nigerian government at the highest levels," the State Department told Newsweek.
“The Nigerian government must more effectively address the repeated attacks against vulnerable communities and ensure that its laws throughout the country are consistent with its commitment to religious freedom,” the spokesperson added.
“When making designations for Countries of Particular Concern, the Secretary reviews all available information and takes these determinations very seriously,” they continued. "Boko Haram and ISIS-West Africa are designated as Entities of Particular Concern under the International Religious Freedom Act.”
“They have engaged in massive human rights abuses, including interfering with the ability of Christians, Muslims and members of other religious communities to freely exercise their faith,” the State Department said.
Nigeria’s government spoke out against calls for it to be classed as a Country of Particular Concern after the hearing in March, when it said: "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs wishes to express strong concern over the recent wave of misinformation and misleading reports regarding the supposed targeted killings of Christians in Nigeria.
"The unfortunate development is intended to influence foreign governments, especially the United States Government, to designate Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern, due to the violence against Christians.
"While the Federal Government acknowledges the security challenges confronting the nation, it is imperative to clarify that these negative activities are not driven by religious bias, nor targeted against any particular religious group," it added.
Nigeria-based human-rights NGO International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law (Intersociety) said in a report in August jihadists have killed 125,009 Christians since 2009 with 19,100 churches razed in that time. It also counts 60,000 "liberal Muslims" killed in these years.
What People Are Saying
A spokesperson for Open Doors’ work in sub-Saharan Africa told Newsweek: The causes of the violence taking place in northern regions of Nigeria are certainly complex. However, the evidence we see day after day is unambiguous: religion plays a key role, and Christians are disproportionately targeted."
Nigeria Muslim Public Affairs Centre Executive Chairman Disu Kamor said: "Terrorists and criminal groups have killed Muslims and Christians alike, and even those with no religious affiliation. More Muslims than Christians have actually been victims of terrorist attacks in Nigeria. Attempts to reframe this as a religious war serve only the terrorists’ agenda to divide our people."
Africa Subcommittee Ranking Member Sara Jacobs said during the March Congress hearing: "We need to be careful in our characterization of this complex challenge. Roughly half the population of Nigeria is Muslim. While the other half is Christian. And violations of this freedom impact both groups. Oversimplistic narratives about the violence perpetuate harmful stereotypes and motivate tensions and violence based on religious identity."
What Happens Next
The State Department has reiterated its scrutiny of the Nigerian government’s actions, while lawmakers and human rights groups continue to push for Nigeria to be listed as a Country of Particular Concern, leveraging the International Religious Freedom Act to demand greater protections for Christians and all religious minorities.
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