The United States House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, chaired by Chris Smith, has authorized President Donald Trump to impose severe sanctions on Nigeria in response to the escalating violence against Christians in the West African nation.
During a Wednesday hearing, the subcommittee highlighted the worsening persecution of Christians in Nigeria. Bishop Wilfred Anagbe of the Diocese of Makurdi testified, describing the militant Fulani herdsmen as terrorists responsible for theft, vandalism, murder, kidnapping, and rape, all with impunity.
The subcommittee cited a 2024 report by the Observatory for Religious Freedom in Africa, which revealed that Nigerians accounted for 90% of Christians killed worldwide annually. Between October 2019 and September 2023, 55,910 people were killed, with 21,000 abducted by terror groups.
The report emphasized that these attacks are religiously motivated and called for an end to the “religious cleansing” and for the perpetrators to be brought to justice. The subcommittee criticized the Nigerian government for failing to protect Christians despite constitutional guarantees of religious freedom and condemned the use of the legal system to target the Christian population.
Smith also criticized the previous Biden administration for removing Nigeria’s Country of Particular Concern (CPC) designation, which had been in place during Trump’s first term. He urged Trump to reinstate the CPC designation and engage with Nigerian President Bola Tinubu to address the issue.
Smith called on the Trump administration and the U.S. Senate to collaborate on imposing sanctions if the violence against Christians continues. He expressed hope that the hearing would catalyze action from the U.S. government and Congress, emphasizing the need for change to prevent further bloodshed.
