The United States House of Representatives Subcommittee on Africa will on Thursday, November 20, 2025, hold an open hearing to scrutinise President Donald Trump’s recent redesignation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) over alleged religious persecution. If affirmed by the Senate, the designation could trigger sanctions against Nigerian officials found complicit in rights violations and restrict specific forms of US assistance.
The hearing, slated for 11:00 a.m. in Room 2172 of the Rayburn House Office Building and streamed live online, will be chaired by Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ). Two panels of witnesses—comprising senior US State Department officials and Nigerian religious leaders—are expected to testify. According to an invite sent to members of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and sighted by Frontline Reporters, the first panel will feature Jonathan Pratt, Senior Bureau Official for African Affairs, and Jacob McGee, Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. The second panel will include Ms Nina Shea of the Centre for Religious Freedom, Bishop Wilfred Anagbe of Makurdi Diocese, and Ms Oge Onubogu of the Centre for Strategic & International Studies.
The congressional review will assess the scale of religious persecution in Nigeria and consider possible US responses, including humanitarian support, targeted sanctions, and cooperation with Nigerian authorities to reduce violence. The process follows Trump’s October 31, 2025 designation of Nigeria as a CPC, citing what he described as severe and escalating attacks on Christians by extremist groups. Trump warned that the US could halt aid or even undertake military action if Nigeria failed to curb the killings.
President Bola Tinubu, however, dismissed the allegations as a distortion of Nigeria’s religious climate. In a statement on his X handle, he reaffirmed that Nigeria remained committed to religious liberty and tolerance, insisting that the country’s constitutional guarantees contradict claims of state-enabled persecution.
Meanwhile, Bishop Anagbe—one of the invited witnesses—has consistently raised alarm over repeated attacks on Christian communities. Speaking earlier this year at the UK Parliament, he detailed accounts of killings, displacement, and the destruction of farmland and worship centres in parts of Benue State, linking the violence to Islamist extremists and militant herdsmen.
The debate has extended to US lawmakers. Congressman Riley Moore (R-WV), in a recent interview, criticised Tinubu’s rebuttal and insisted that Christians in Nigeria were being disproportionately targeted, claiming a 5:1 killing ratio compared to Muslims. He argued that Trump’s designation empowers Washington to consider sanctions, freeze development funds, and apply other pressure tools—adding that military action remained “on the table,” though not imminent.
Conversely, Congressman Bill Huizenga told Arise TV that Trump was unlikely to authorise military intervention, though he acknowledged the President’s desire to halt alleged Christian-targeted violence. Huizenga argued instead for economic sanctions to block funding channels for extremist groups.
As international scrutiny continues, the Vatican has also weighed in. Pope Leo XIV, in a recent post on his verified X account, lamented growing violence against Christians in Nigeria, Bangladesh, Sudan, and other regions, urging global prayers and collective action to end the killings.
In Nigeria, the Tinubu administration has launched peace-building efforts. Last week, the President dispatched Dr Abiodun Essiet, Senior Special Assistant on Community Engagement (North Central), to Plateau State to meet with Christian leaders, Fulani Miyetti Allah representatives, and local communities. According to the Presidency, the visit helped resolve a lingering dispute in Jos South involving the destruction of farmland and the seizure of cattle. The parties signed an undertaking to maintain peace after compensation was paid.
ADVERTISEMENTS
2025-11-15
2025-11-17
