American congressmen are petitioning Donald Trump to redesignate Nigeria a hotbed of Christian persecution.
Nigeria was designated by Trump as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) in 2020. This decision was overturned by the Biden administration without explanation.
Asking Trump to reverse the advice Biden revoked, Chris Smith, a representative from New Jersey’s 4th district, said, “Religious leaders in Nigeria were outraged by the previous administration’s decision.”
Explaining the point of a CPC, Smith said, the designation opens pathways to alleviating violence and suffering through “a broad array of sanctions.”
The persecution of Christians in Nigeria is at an all-time high, Smith continued.
Putting outward pressure on apathetic governments who appear reluctant to intervene or enforce their country’s constitutions on religious freedom and human rights is a workable strategy.
Over “18,000 churches have been destroyed since 2009 in Northern Nigeria alone, Smith added, citing Open Doors, and Genocide Watch.
Between 2019 and 2024, 55,910 people have been murdered, and up to 21,000 people are missing. All were presumably kidnapped, forced to convert, or killed in captivity by Islamic terror groups.
As part of the hearings, Smith not only invited, but he included testimonials from Nigerians.
One example, Smith recalled, is the story of Habila Adamu.
“Adamu was dragged from his home by Boko Haram terrorists then ordered him to renounce his faith.
“With an AK-47 pressed to his face, he was asked, “Are you ready to die as a Christian?
“With extraordinary courage, Adamu answered, “Yes, I am ready to die as a Christian.
“He was asked a second time and repeated his answer.
“His wife was pleading- ‘Please don’t kill my husband.” And yet he said, “Yes I am ready to die as a Christian.
“This time, the terrorist pulled the trigger.
“A bullet ripped through Habila’s face. He crumpled to the ground, bleeding profusely, and left for dead.
“By some miracle,” Smith recounted, “Adamu survived.”
When closing his testimony, Habila Adamu told the Americans, “Do everything you can to end this ruthless religious persecution, but know Christ first.”
Smith is chair of the United States House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa.
His intercession on behalf of persecuted Christians appears to be part of a longer battle to raise awareness about the global reach of Islam’s global war on Christians, not just in Nigeria.
“Help can’t come fast enough,” Smith asserted, with some urgency.
He then added that he was confident Trump would revisit the evidence and reposition America’s relationship with Nigeria to “better assist the persecuted church.”
According to Alliance Defending Freedom International (ADF Intel), like Sudan, Nigeria is demographically split between Christians in the South and Muslims in the North.
Discussing its presence in the country, ADF Intel, said Christianity has grown in Nigeria to about 50% of the population since the 1960s.
This increase has gone without legal protections because Sharia Courts dominate the justice system.
“Nigeria is one of the most dangerous countries in the world for Christians, ADF stated.
“Christian villages are burned, and villagers are left with mass graves, many orphaned children, and scars from attacks.
“Often, perpetrators are not brought to justice, and the suffering for Christians only worsens.”
I’d really encourage my US followers to watch this hearing, esp Rep. Smith’s opening statement & witnesses. You’ll hear the unvarnished truth about some of the worst persecution of Christians in the world. The American Church needs to know & speak—very few others are willing. https://t.co/XWBugwGJf1
— Sean Nelson (@Sean_ADFIntl) March 13, 2025
Notably, if America wasn’t investigating this or had no interest in doing so, no one would know anything about it.
Smith’s diehard defence of Christians in Nigeria is a sound example of healthy American activism, where it is sorely needed and warmly welcomed.
This in and of itself is a laser-focused indictment on those who state America should keep out of the Middle East, Asia, Oceania, and Africa.
