US President Donald Trump has said that he plans on redesignating Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” due to its high levels of violence.
Despite being around 50 per cent Christian, Nigeria is currently ranked by Open Doors as the 7th worst country in the world for anti-Christian persecution. The violence comes mainly from Islamic militants in the north of the country.
Estimates to the full extent of the violence vary. Open Doors believes that this year alone 3,100 Christians have been killed for their faith in Nigeria, out of 4,476 killed globally.
However, the Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law, gives a much higher figure, suggesting that as many as 7,000 have been killed this year.
Bishop John Bakeni, from Maiduguri Diocese, Nigeria, last month said that in some parts of the country the violence had “assumed genocidal character”, while earlier this year Bishop Wilfred Anagbe warned that massacres during Christian festivals were becoming “customary” in parts of the country.
As well as murders, other forms of violence against Christians are also common in parts of Nigeria. Open Doors estimates that 2,830 Christians were abducted (out of 3,775 worldwide) and Nigeria is also the country in which the most Christians are raped or sexually assaulted because of their faith.
The US government had Nigeria listed as a CPC until November 2021. An Open Doors spokesperson welcomed the news that Nigeria would again go on the list.
“For too long the specific targeting of Christian communities have continued with impunity," they said.
“The move by the Trump administration might not be the immediate fix of the complex root causes of the problem.
"However, it is an acknowledgement that the problem is large-scale and serious, and an important symbolic recognition to the tremendous suffering of the most vulnerable in parts of Nigeria."
Trump made the announcement via social media, writing, “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’.”
Sean Nelson, Senior Counsel for Global Religious Freedom at the Alliance Defending Freedom International, also welcomed the designation.
"The evidence is clear: the persecution of Christians in Nigeria is deliberate and at horrifying levels," he said.
"The US should never stand idly by as our brothers and sisters in Christ face persecution for their faith, and we are grateful that the US government has made combatting persecution a priority.
"ADF International has supported the legal defense of clients in Nigeria for years who have faced the most severe violations of religious freedom.
"We have been consistently advocating for this critical designation for years and are committed to ensuring that it results in real change in Nigeria.
"The time is now for every persecuted Christian to find justice. The world should stand with the persecuted in Nigeria—and everywhere—now."
