The United States Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has urged the US government to designate Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) due to persistent religious violence and the government’s failure to protect religious minorities.
In its 2025 annual report released on Tuesday, USCIRF condemned Nigerian authorities for failing to prosecute perpetrators of religious violence, warning that this inaction fuels reprisals, deepens sectarian tensions, and weakens religious freedom.
If Nigeria is officially designated as a CPC under the US International Religious Freedom Act, it could face diplomatic and economic consequences, including sanctions and restrictions on US foreign aid.
Meanwhile, Nigeria was designated as such before, with the US government accusing it and other countries in the category of violating religious freedom, and ignoring the recommendation from the USCIRF.
In November 2021, the US government removed Nigeria from the list, but it did not take long when the push to redesignate the country as a CPC country resumed.
In July 2022, five American senators asked the then-Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, to redesignate Nigeria as a CPC country over the deteriorating state of religious freedom in the country.
“Given the abysmal state of religious freedom in Nigeria, it is incumbent upon you to reverse last year’s decision and redesignate the country as a CPC. The moment demands that you do so without delay,” the senators said in a 29 June 2022 memo.
The Republican senators informed Mr Blinken that religious violence and intolerance directed toward Nigerian Christians has worsened in recent years, hence their request.
Apart from attacks on Nigerian Christians, the senators also said, the Nigerian authorities also restrict and “crack down on religious minorities and detain individuals indefinitely on blasphemy-related charges.”
The 2025 annual report of the USCIRF recommending Nigeria’s redesignation came on the heels of a call earlier this month of the US House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa for Nigeria to be re-tagged a CPC country.
The Chairman of the Subcommittee, Chris Smith, urged President Donald Trump to impose harsh sanctions on Nigeria over the killing of Christians.
At the hearing of the subcommittee, Mr Smith condemned the former Secretary of State, Mr Blinken, for reversing Nigeria’s CPC status in 2021.
“One Nigerian Bishop challenged Blinken and said Christian persecution is “more intense than ever.” That was Bishop Mamza.
“And Genocide Watch has called Nigeria ‘a killing field of defenceless Christians,’” he said.
Mr Smith also stated that the Nigerian government has failed to tackle religiously motivated persecution of Christians “despite religious freedom being enshrined as an essential human right in its Constitution.”
“The Nigerian legal framework supports pluralism at both federal and state levels, but glaring contradictions exist, especially with laws that criminalise blasphemy – some even carrying the death penalty.”
While in office, Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari confirmed that during his visit to the US in 2018, he was confronted by US President Donald Trump, during first term in office, with the allegation of killing of Christians.
Nigeria denies targeted attacks on religious communities
Earlier this month, the Nigerian government, through the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, denied allegations of targeted killings of Christians in the country.
The ministry said reports promoting the allegations were misleading and intended to pressure the United States into designating Nigeria a CPC.
It described any attempt to portray these attacks as religious persecution as inaccurate and misleading.
“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,” the statement read in part.
The agency further noted that the Nigerian government has deployed security forces, enhanced intelligence gathering, and strengthened community engagement in an effort to tackle the crisis.
“To bring an end to such security challenges, both the Federal and State authorities have embarked on kinetic and non-kinetic methods and expedited the implementation of the national livestock plan.
“To this end, a Ministry of Livestock Development has been established, while a Special Adviser and Coordinator of Livestock Reforms has been appointed to find sustainable solutions to pastoral farming, with a view to ending contestations over land between farmers and pastoral herders,” the agency further noted.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs urged the international community to verify information carefully before drawing conclusions that might escalate tensions within Nigeria.
USCIRF report cites cases
The USCIRF report cited continued attacks on religious communities by Boko Haram (Jama’tu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad, JAS), Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), and armed bandits, who operate with little resistance from security forces.
“In 2024, religious freedom conditions in Nigeria remained poor. Federal and state governments either tolerated religious violence or failed to respond adequately to extremist groups seeking to impose their interpretation of Islam on communities,” The USCIRF Chair, Stephen Schneck, stated.
The commission documented several major attacks targeting religious minorities, including a January 2024 incident when suspected Boko Haram insurgents killed 14 people in Yobe State, including a local pastor.
The report stated that in May 2024, an Al-Qaeda-linked Ansaru militant kidnapped 160 mostly Christian children in Niger State, killing eight before later releasing the rest.
Also, the USCIRF said in August 2024, some armed bandits raided Christian-majority areas in Benue State, killing at least 70 people and abducting 20 students.
In November 2024, the USCIRF explained that the extremist Lakurawa group, enforcing their interpretation of Shari’a, reportedly executed 15 people in Kebbi State.
Despite these repeated attacks, Nigerian security forces have been slow to respond, leaving churches, mosques, and religious schools vulnerable to further violence.
International pressure mounts
The USCIRF report aligns with increasing international scrutiny. In February, the European Parliament passed a resolution (RC-B10-0101/2025) demanding Nigeria abolish its blasphemy laws and immediately release Yahaya Sharif-Aminu.
“Blasphemy laws violate international human rights standards and contradict Nigeria’s constitutional guarantee of religious freedom,” the resolution stated.
Since his 2020 conviction, Mr Sharif-Aminu has drawn global condemnation. He was sentenced to death by hanging without legal representation, sparking criticism from Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the United Nations.
The European Union reported that Mr Sharif-Aminu’s health is deteriorating due to harsh detention conditions, malnutrition, and lack of medical care.
In a separate statement, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention declared his imprisonment a violation of international human rights law, urging the Nigerian government to immediately secure his release.
Religious violence, blasphemy
Religious violence remains a worsening crisis. Amnesty International reported that over 7,000 Christians were killed in Nigeria in 2023 alone.
From 2012 to 2023, at least 555 cases of mob violence resulted in 57 deaths, including victims burned or buried alive.
“The authorities’ failure to investigate and prosecute these crimes highlights a shocking neglect of their duty to protect citizens,” said Isa Sanusi, Director of Amnesty International Nigeria.
In one of the religious violence in 2022, a Christian college student, Deborah Yakubu, was beaten and burned to death by a mob in Sokoto State over allegations of blasphemy.
Her death sparked global outrage, but many Nigerian political leaders, particularly northern governors, called to condemn the killing but never consistently demanded justice for her.
The report noted that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar initially called for the arrest of those responsible in a social media post but later deleted it after facing backlash from his northern supporters.
Additionally, the then-Governor of Niger State, Abubakar Bello—where Ms Yakubu hailed from—never issued a statement condemning her killing nor attended her burial, reinforcing perceptions of government indifference to religious violence.
USCIRF warned that such political silence emboldens religious extremists and sends a troubling message that perpetrators will not face consequences.
Beyond extremist violence, USCIRF also condemned Nigeria’s harsh blasphemy laws, which impose up to two years’ imprisonment for insulting religion at the federal level.
In several northern states, where Shari’a law applies, blasphemy convictions carry death sentences.
At least five individuals remained imprisoned for blasphemy at the end of 2024, including Mubarak Bala, a humanist sentenced to 24 years in 2022, later reduced to five years in May 2024.
Yahaya Sharif-Aminu, a Sufi Muslim sentenced to death in 2020 for singing a religious song deemed blasphemous. After a retrial order, his fate remains uncertain as he awaits a Supreme Court ruling.
In addition, Abdulazeez Inyass, Sheikh Abduljabar Nasiru Kabara, and Isma’ila Sani Isah, all facing death sentences under Shari’a law.
USCIRF also criticised the suppression of indigenous religious practices. In July 2024, the Anambra State government demolished an indigenous shrine following pressure from Catholic bishops, raising concerns about religious intolerance beyond Islamist extremism.
USCIRF’s recommendations to the US Government
To address the crisis, USCIRF recommended the U.S. government take immediate diplomatic action, including redesignating Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) under the International Religious Freedom Act.
The report called for classifying Boko Haram and ISWAP as “Entities of Particular Concern” (EPCs) for their systematic religious persecution.
The commission demanded increasing support for Nigerian civil society organisations advocating religious freedom, and redirecting U.S. foreign aid toward conflict resolution, security sector reform, and law enforcement training.
The report recommended pressuring Nigerian authorities to end impunity for religious violence and ensure justice for victims.
Additionally, the commission called on the U.S. Congress to investigate whether U.S. assistance to Nigeria has effectively reduced religiously motivated violence.
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