Christian Groups Urge Biden Administration to Re-List Nigeria as ‘Country of Particular Concern’ Over Human Rights Abuses

December 18, 2023

Christian advocacy groups are among those urging Congress and the Biden Administration to have the U.S. State Department re-list Nigeria in its list of “Countries of Particular Concern” (CPC) over reports of the country’s human rights abuses.

Former Sec. of State Mike Pompeo had listed Nigeria as a CPC back in 2020 — but current Sec. of State Anthony Blinken removed the country from the list in 2021.

“More than 5,000 Nigerian Christians are reported to have been killed for their faith in 2022, according to a report by Open Doors, a religious freedom watchdog group,” reported Real Clear Politics.

Several dozen “religious freedom and Christian advocacy” groups signed a letter urging Congress to pressure the administration to restore Nigeria to the CPC list, writing:

“We appeal to you to urgently respond to the Department of State’s failure to adequately address egregious, systematic and ongoing religious persecution in Nigeria, as required by the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998.”

In January, U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) introduced a bill calling on the Biden Administration to re-list Nigeria as a CPC and “appoint a special envoy to the country and the Lake Chad region to monitor and combat atrocities there.”

Said Smith:

“The Biden Administration’s totally unjustified decision to retreat from the noble and necessary fight to protect victims of religious persecution puts even more people in jeopardy.“