President Trump announced Friday that he is designating Nigeria a “country of special interest,” citing widespread killings of Christians in the West African country.
“Christianity faces an existential threat in Nigeria,” Trump wrote in Truth Social. “Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this massacre. I hereby declare Nigeria a ‘COUNTRY OF PARTICULAR CONCERN’ – But that is the least of it.”
The president emphasized that action must be taken when people are persecuted because of their faith.
CRUZ Clashes With NIGERIA OVER HIS CLAIMS 50,000 CHRISTIANS KILLED SINCE 2009 BY RELIGIOUS VIOLENCE
Trump said he has tapped Rep. Riley Moore, R-W. Va., Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., and members of the House Appropriations Committee to investigate the situation and report their findings to him.
“The United States cannot stand by while such atrocities take place in Nigeria and many other countries,” Trump said. “We stand ready, willing and able to save our great Christian population around the world!”
Members of St. Leo Catholic Church hold a procession to mark Palm Sunday in Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria on April 13, 2025. (Photo by Adekunle Ajayi) (Adekunle Ajayi/Getty Images)
The situation for Christians in Nigeria has reached an alarming level. Entire villages have been burned to the ground, worshipers have been killed during Sunday services and thousands have been displaced by Islamist groups sweeping through the country’s northern and central regions.
In June, militants attacked a bishop’s village just days after he testified before Congress about the persecution of Christians, killing more than 20 people. Similar attacks in Plateau and Benue states have killed hundreds of people this year alone, with survivors describing gunmen shouting “Allahu Akbar” as they torched churches and homes.
Christians hold placards as they march through the streets of Abuja during a prayer and penance for peace and security in Nigeria in Abuja on March 1, 2020. The Catholic Bishops of Nigeria gathered believers as well as other Christians and other people to pray for safety and to denounce the barbaric killings of Christians by Boko Haram insurgents and the incessant cases of kidnapping for ransom in Nigeria. (Photo by Kola Sulaimon/AFP via Getty Images)
Nearly 70% of all Christians killed worldwide for their faith last year were in Nigeria, according to international watchdog group Open Doors. The group warns that Boko Haram, the Islamic State West Africa (ISWAP) and militant Fulani herdsmen are responsible for most of the bloodshed, often targeting Christian farmers in the country’s Middle Belt. Rights groups estimate that thousands of worshipers are killed every year, while countless others are forced to flee.
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Pope Leo XIV condemned the murder of up to 200 people in Nigeria’s Yelewata community. (Associated Press)
“Even conservatively, there are probably 4,000 to 8,000 Christians killed every year,” Walker said. “This has been going on for years – from ISWAP to Islamist Fulani ethnic militias – and the Nigerian government needs to be much more proactive.”
Walker, a former pastor and Republican congressman from North Carolina, said that while he has not yet been confirmed, he is already working with church networks across Africa to protect missionaries and local believers.
“This isn’t about appropriations or politics – this is about human life. We’re talking about boys and girls, women being kidnapped and horrific things happening. We all need to raise our voices.”
He added that he plans to work closely with Marco Rubio to strengthen U.S. advocacy once confirmed. “Fortunately, we have a secretary of state who has been one of the strongest voices,” Walker said. “He has already made statements and is very aware of what is going on. I look forward to advising him on countries of particular interest.”
WHITE HOUSE RESPONDS TO INCREASE IN CHRISTIAN PERSECUTION CRISIS IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA
People gather at the site of a car bomb explosion at the Central Market in Maiduguri, Nigeria, the birthplace of terrorist group Boko Haram, on July 2, 2014. (AP Photo/Jossy Ola)
The White House has also acknowledged a rise in anti-Christian violence in sub-Saharan Africa, where jihadist movements are exploiting political instability and porous borders. Both Pope Leo and the US State Department have condemned the recent massacres in Nigeria and warned that the crisis threatens to spread beyond the country’s borders.
Walker added, “The United States must always stand up for religious freedom, and that starts with speaking the truth about what is happening.”
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Women and children held captive by Islamic extremists and rescued by the Nigerian military are seen arriving in Maiduguri, Nigeria, on Monday, May 20, 2024. Hundreds of hostages, mostly children whose mothers were held captive and forcibly married by Islamic extremists in northeastern Nigeria, have been rescued from their main forest enclave and handed over to authorities, the West African nation’s military said late on Monday. (AP Photo/Jossy Olatunji)
Presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga dismissed the criticism, telling Nigeria’s Daily Post: “Christians are not being targeted. We have religious harmony in our country.”
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Despite the political debate, the facts on the ground remain bleak. Christian villages continue to be attacked, churches continue to burn and millions live in fear. Western governments have made statements but taken little tangible action to stop the killings or support survivors, a priest from Plateau state said, adding: “When the world remains silent, the killers return.”
