President Donald Trump has redesignated Nigeria as a 'Country of Particular Concern' due to claims of genocide against Christians. The move revives a designation from his first term, amid ongoing security challenges in the West African nation. Nigeria's government insists the violence is not religiously targeted.
On October 31, 2025, US President Donald Trump announced the redesignation of Nigeria as a 'Country of Particular Concern' (CPC), citing an existential threat to Christianity in the country. Trump stated, “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’ — But that is the least of it.” He referenced figures showing 3,100 Christians killed in Nigeria compared to 4,476 worldwide, insisting action is needed.
This decision follows campaigns by American and European far-right figures alleging Christian genocide in Nigeria. Trump directed Congressman Riley Moore, along with Chairman Tom Cole and the House Appropriations Committee, to investigate the matter immediately. He added, “We stand ready, willing, and able to save our Great Christian population around the World.”
Nigeria was previously listed as a CPC in 2020 during Trump's first term but was removed by President Joe Biden in 2021. The Nigerian government has pushed back against the claims. Information Minister Mohammed Idris said days before the announcement, “We are not denying or asking for denial of Nigeria’s security challenges—which we, under President Tinubu’s leadership, are dealing with boldly and decisively.” He emphasized, “Instead we are asking to be fully understood and respected as a multi-religious country that is united against terrorism, banditry, extremism and other forms of insecurity.”
Nigeria faces complex violence: the northeast has endured over 15 years of jihadist attacks by Boko Haram, killing more than 40,000 and displacing two million. The northwest and central regions suffer banditry, with villages attacked without clear religious motives. Clashes between Muslim herders and Christian farmers over land and resources add tensions, though experts attribute the north-central conflicts primarily to population growth and climate change squeezing arable land.
