US Congressman Riley Moore has insisted that the United States should not remove Nigeria from its Country of Particular Concern (CPC) designation over alleged persecution of Christians, citing continued violence in parts of the Middle Belt.
Moore made the position known in a post on his official X account while responding to a statement from the US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs.
The congressman supported the US State Department’s call for the Nigerian government to strengthen protection for Christian communities following the latest attack in Plateau State.
“We absolutely CANNOT remove the CPC designation from Nigeria while radical Islamic terrorists continue this horrific violence against Christians,” Moore wrote.
He added that the Nigerian government must fulfil its commitment to protect Christian communities.
“The Nigerian government must meet its commitments to protect innocent Christian communities,” Moore said.
Moore was responding to a statement by the US Bureau of African Affairs condemning the latest attack in Plateau State, where more than 24 people were reportedly killed and several others remained missing.
According to local residents, attackers stormed affected communities at night and opened fire on people sleeping in their homes, leaving families displaced and mourning.
Community leaders described the attack as barbaric and called on the federal and state governments to increase security in rural communities that they said had repeatedly come under attack.
The US Bureau of African Affairs said it was horrified by the attack and urged the Nigerian government to protect Christian communities and ensure that perpetrators of violence were held accountable.
“We extend our deepest condolences to the families of those missing and killed, and we strongly urge the Nigerian government to meet their commitments to protect Christian communities and to hold perpetrators of violence accountable,” the Bureau said.
The comments from Moore and the Bureau indicate renewed pressure from US lawmakers for the Trump administration to maintain Nigeria’s CPC designation amid continuing violence in Plateau, Benue and other parts of the Middle Belt.
Nigeria Rejects Religious Targeting Claims
The Nigerian government has repeatedly denied allegations of systematic religious targeting, maintaining that many of the conflicts are largely linked to land disputes, competition over resources and criminality.
The United States first designated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern in 2020 under the International Religious Freedom Act, a classification applied to countries considered to have engaged in or tolerated systematic, ongoing and egregious violations of religious freedom.
Nigeria was removed from the list in 2021 but remained under close monitoring by the US State Department.
The Trump administration returned Nigeria to the CPC list last year. Since then, the US-Nigeria Joint Working Group referenced by the Bureau has met twice to assess progress and review measures being taken by Abuja to address Washington’s concerns.
The CPC designation is reviewed annually by the US State Department, with the next review scheduled for November.
Source: US Bureau of African Affairs / Riley Moore
