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By Lizzy Chirkpi
A United States lawmaker, Riley M. Moore, representing West Virginia’s Second District, has called on former President Donald Trump to re-designate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) over alleged widespread persecution of Christians.
In a letter reportedly dated October 6, 2025, and addressed to Marco Rubio, the U.S. Secretary of State, Moore urged Washington to halt all arms sales and related technical assistance to Nigeria until the government demonstrates a genuine commitment to ending what he described as “the reign of persecution and slaughter.”
The lawmaker’s appeal follows recent remarks by American comedian Bill Maher, who drew global attention to the rising number of Christians reportedly killed by extremist groups such as Boko Haram and Islamic State affiliates in Nigeria’s northern and central regions.
Moore claimed that between January and September 2025 alone, more than 7,000 Christians have been “gruesomely murdered by Muslim extremist groups.” He further alleged that since 2015, at least 250 Catholic priests have been attacked or killed across the country and that “between the Boko Haram uprising in 2009 and 2025, 19,100 churches in Nigeria have been attacked or destroyed.”
During his first administration, President Trump had placed Nigeria on the CPC list, a designation reserved for nations that commit or tolerate severe violations of religious freedom but the status was reversed under President Joe Biden.
The push to restore Nigeria’s CPC status has also gained traction among other American figures, including Senator Ted Cruz, television host Bill Maher, and political commentator Van Jones, who have all described the situation as a “Christian genocide.”
Appearing recently on Maher’s podcast, Senator Cruz alleged that Christians in Nigeria are being “systematically targeted and killed,” branding the crisis as “genocide.”
However, the Nigerian government has repeatedly rejected such claims.
Reacting to the reports, the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, dismissed the allegations as “false, misleading and capable of inciting division.”
According to Dare, “the foreign commentators are orchestrating wild allegations about unproven ongoing genocide in Nigeria,” adding that Nigerians and the international community should reject any attempt to “robe the country with a garment that is not hers.”
Recall that Nigeria was first designated as a Country of Particular Concern in 2020 under the Trump administration due to concerns about religious freedom violations. However, the Biden administration removed Nigeria from the list in 2021, citing diplomatic progress and government efforts to curb sectarian violence.
The renewed push by American lawmakers and commentators has reignited debate over whether religious persecution in Nigeria is systemic or part of the broader security challenges driven by terrorism, banditry, and communal conflicts.