United States Congressman Riley Moore has hailed former President Donald Trump for designating Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) amid intensifying claims of widespread persecution and mass killings of Christians in the country.
Trump made the announcement on Friday via his Truth Social platform, declaring that Christianity in Nigeria faced an “existential threat” allegedly fuelled by radical Islamist groups.
“Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter. I am hereby making Nigeria a ‘country of particular concern’,” Trump wrote.
He further vowed that the United States “cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening”, pledging that his administration would “stand ready, willing, and able to save our great Christian population around the world.”
Reacting via X (formerly Twitter), Congressman Riley Moore commended Trump’s decision, describing it as a mark of “strong leadership” and a reaffirmation of his “commitment to protecting persecuted Christians worldwide.”
“Thank you, @POTUS, for your incredible leadership by designating Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern,” Moore wrote.
“You have always been a champion for Christians around the world, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to work with you and Chairman Cole (@houseappropsgop) to defend our brothers and sisters in Christ who are being slaughtered by radical Islamists in Nigeria.”
Earlier in October, Moore had urged Secretary of State Marco Rubio to take immediate diplomatic action against what he called the “systematic persecution and slaughter of Christians” in Nigeria—describing it as “the deadliest place in the world to be a Christian.”
In a statement issued on October 6, the lawmaker called for Nigeria’s CPC redesignation and
the suspension of arms sales until the Nigerian government demonstrates “a tangible commitment to ending the violence.”Citing reports from Open Doors and other international watchdogs, Moore alleged that over 7,000 Christians had been killed in 2025 alone and that at least 19,100 churches had been attacked or destroyed since 2009. He also accused “corrupt cells within the Nigerian government” of complicity in certain attacks, claiming that Christian orphanages in states such as Kano have been closed and children forced into re-education as Muslims.
“Nigeria has become the deadliest place in the world to be a Christian, and the United States cannot stand idly by,” Moore warned, adding that the country now hosts “no fewer than 22 Islamic terror groups linked to ISIS and other global networks.”
However, the Nigerian government has firmly rejected these allegations.
Speaking on CNN on Tuesday night, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, dismissed the claims as “misleading and unreflective of Nigeria’s complex security realities.”
Idris stressed that the violence afflicting Nigeria is not religiously motivated, noting that both Christians and Muslims have been victims of terrorist and criminal attacks, particularly in the northern regions.
“Some of the claims made by officials of the United States are based on faulty data and the assumption that victims of violence are largely Christians,” he said.
“Yes, there are Christians being attacked, but these criminals do not target one religion; they attack both Christians and Muslims.”
The minister cautioned that spreading such narratives could “embolden criminal elements seeking to incite religious tension” and pledged Nigeria’s continued commitment to religious freedom, human rights, and the rule of law.
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