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By Lizzy Chirkpi
The United States Congress has commenced an extensive investigation into what lawmakers describe as consistent attacks on Christian communities in Nigeria, as the House of Representatives Subcommittee on Africa prepares for a high-profile public hearing on Thursday, November 20, 2025.
The hearing is set for 11:00 a.m. in Room 2172 of the Rayburn House Office Building and to be livestreamed. It will examine President Donald Trump’s recent move to redesignate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) over alleged religious persecution. If upheld by the US Senate, the designation could pave the way for punitive sanctions against Nigerian officials and restrict various categories of US–Nigeria cooperation.
The session will be chaired by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), with testimony expected from two separate panels comprising senior US State Department officials and Nigerian faith leaders.
An invitation circulated to members of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs stated: “You are respectfully requested to attend an open hearing of the Committee on Foreign Affairs to be held by the Subcommittee on Africa at 11:00 a.m. in Room 2172 of the Rayburn House Office Building.”
Confirmed witnesses include Jonathan Pratt, Senior Bureau Official for African Affairs, and Jacob McGee, Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor.
A second panel will feature Nina Shea of the Center for Religious Freedom; Bishop Wilfred Anagbe of the Makurdi Catholic Diocese; and Oge Onubogu of the Center for Strategic & International Studies.
Lawmakers are expected to review trends in religious violence and assess possible US responses ranging from humanitarian support to sanctions and increased diplomatic pressure on Abuja to quell rising insecurity.
On October 31, 2025, President Trump redesignated Nigeria as a CPC, citing what he described as severe violations of religious liberty and widespread killings of Christians by extremist groups. The declaration has generated global debate and sharp reactions from Abuja.
In a statement issued on November 1, Trump warned that Washington would not hesitate to take drastic measures if the Nigerian government failed to address the alleged atrocities:
“If the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the USA will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria, and may very well go into that now-disgraced country, ‘guns-a-blazing,’ to completely wipe out the Islamic terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities.”
He added: “I am hereby instructing our Department of War to prepare for possible action. If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our cherished Christians.”
Nigeria has firmly rejected claims of religious persecution, insisting it remains a secular democracy committed to protecting all faiths.
“Nigeria stands firmly as a democracy governed by constitutional guarantees of religious liberty. The characterisation of Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our national reality,” the President said.
“Religious freedom and tolerance have been a core tenet of our collective identity and shall always remain so. Nigeria opposes religious persecution and does not encourage it.”
The CPC redesignation sponsored in the Senate by Senator Ted Cruz is pending legislative review. Nigeria first appeared on the list in 2020 under Trump before President Joe Biden removed it upon taking office.
Bishop Wilfred Anagbe, who is expected to testify before the House Subcommittee, previously sounded global alarm over attacks in Benue State. In a March 25, 2025, appearance before the UK Parliament, he detailed widespread killings, mass displacements, and the destruction of Christian villages.
“The militant Fulani herdsmen bear down on defenceless villagers without consequence,” he said.
“They follow orders to conquer, kill, and occupy. They attack even those who have managed to escape into our IDP camps.”
He described entire communities being overrun by Islamist extremists and armed groups, pushing thousands into internally displaced persons camps.
Momentum for the US probe intensified after Representative Riley Moore (R-WV) disclosed in a Fox News interview that an investigation had already begun.
“We’ve already started that investigation… we’re going to get to the bottom of this,” he said.
The upcoming hearing is expected to shape Washington’s next steps ranging from increased scrutiny of Nigeria’s security operations to potential sanctions and deeper intervention in the country’s human rights record.