President Donald Trump declared Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern “and called for a congressional investigation Friday while citing the slaughter of thousands of Christians.
Trump called on the House Appropriations Committee to “look into the matter” and provide him with a report in a post on Truth Social.
“Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter,” he wrote. “I am hereby making Nigeria a ‘COUNTRY OF PARTICULAR CONCERN.’”
CPC is a designation, usually set by the Secretary of State, established under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, according to the State Department. The list, annually reviewed by the president, includes countries whose governments participate in or tolerate “systematic, ongoing, egregious violations of religious freedom.” (RELATED: China Arrests Almost 30 Pastors, Members Of One Of Its Biggest Underground Churches)
Before Friday, the most recent designations of CPCs were in December 2023, which included North Korea, Russia, Iran, China and more, according to the State Department.
The designation allows for multiple possible actions that can be taken against a country, including sanctions and diplomatic measures, according to a United States Commission on International Religious Freedom memo.
EDITORS NOTE: Graphic content / TOPSHOT – Ondo State governor Rotimi Akeredolu (3rd L) points to blood the stained floor after an attack by gunmen at St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo town, southwest Nigeria on June 5, 2022. – Gunmen with explosives stormed a Catholic church and opened fire in southwest Nigeria on June 5, killing “many” worshippers and wounding others, the government and police said. The violence at St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo town in Ondo State erupted during the morning service in a rare attack in the southwest of Nigeria, where jihadists and criminal gangs operate in other regions. (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)
Trump cited Open Doors’ estimates that 3,100 Nigerian Christians have been killed so far this year, making up a large portion of the estimated 4,476 Christians murdered worldwide over the same time.
Islamic extremist militants, such as Boko Haram, are leading the persecution with targeted attacks, especially in the northern region of the country, according to Open Doors. These attacks often result in the killing of men and the sexual abuse of women, the organization said.
“When Christians, or any such group, are slaughtered like is happening in Nigeria … something must be done!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Trump then asked the House Appropriations Committee, specifically Republican West Virginia Rep. Riley Moore and Republican Oklahoma Rep. and Committee Chairman Tom Cole, to “immediately look into this matter and report back to me.”
Moore responded to Trump’s statement Friday. “Thank you [President Trump] for your incredible leadership by designating Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern,” he wrote, adding that he looks forward to working with Trump and Cole on the issue.
Thank you @POTUS for your incredible leadership by designating Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern.
You have always been a champion for Christians around the world, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to work with you and Chairman Cole @houseappropsgop to defend our… pic.twitter.com/BOA9UnszzV
— Rep. Riley M. Moore (@RepRileyMoore) October 31, 2025
While reviewing, the committee may hold hearings and review how aid is used and send policy suggestions to Trump.
About 30 U.S. Christian leaders signed a letter calling on Trump to label Nigeria a CPC, according to International Christian Concern. It was sent to the White House in mid-October.
“I would not be opposed to such economic sanctions as long as they do not penalize the innocent people of Nigeria,” Professor Robert Fastiggi of dogmatic theology at Sacred Heart Major Seminary, a signatory to the letter, said. “We don’t want to penalize the innocent along with the guilty. The effect of economic sanctions on the innocent should be investigated before imposing them.”
“The United States cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening in Nigeria and numerous other countries,” Trump said. “We stand ready, willing and able to save our great Christian population around the world!”
The House Appropriations Committee has not responded to the Daily Caller’s request for comment.
