A United States lawmaker, Rep. Riley M. Moore, has called on former President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio to immediately declare Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern (CPC)” over the persistent killings of Christians.
In a letter dated October 6, 2025, and addressed to the U.S. State Department, the West Virginia congressman described the situation in Nigeria as “the systematic persecution and slaughter of Christians.”
He urged Washington to suspend arms sales and other military assistance to Nigeria until the government shows real commitment to ending religiously motivated violence.
According to Moore, “I write to urge you to take immediate action to address the systematic persecution and slaughter of Christians in Nigeria. As a Christian nation founded upon biblical principles, the United States bears a unique obligation to stand for the freedom and protection of Christians worldwide.”
He further stated that “Nigeria has become the deadliest place in the world to be a Christian, and the United States cannot stand idly by.”
The lawmaker cited statistics from Open Doors and other global rights groups showing that over 7,000 Christians have been killed in Nigeria this year alone — averaging 35 deaths daily.
He added that at least 19,100 churches have been attacked or destroyed since 2009, with about 850 Christians still held captive by terrorists.
Moore accused insurgent groups such as Boko Haram, Ansaru, and ISIS-West Africa of carrying out the brutal attacks, while also alleging that “corrupt cells” within the Nigerian government have been complicit.
“In Northern states such as Kano, regional governments have backed and facilitated the closing of Christian orphanages and forced the children to be reeducated as Muslims,” he wrote, condemning the enforcement of anti-blasphemy laws and what he described as state-sponsored persecution.
He maintained that the Nigerian government’s repeated claim that “terrorism affects all faiths equally” is misleading. “Christians are far and away the most targeted for persecution and violence,” he stressed, warning that the ongoing crisis amounts to “a form of genocide.”
Moore, who serves in the U.S. House of Representatives, urged the Trump administration to restore the CPC designation on Nigeria, which was first imposed under Trump but removed by President Biden in 2021.
However, the Nigerian government has denied such allegations, insisting that the country does not persecute any group on the basis of religion.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently described similar claims from foreign agencies as “unfounded and politically motivated.”