Nigeria (MNN) — After a nearly four-year hiatus, Nigeria will once again appear on the U.S. State Department’s Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) list.

(Photo courtesy of Voice of the Martyrs USA)

President Donald Trump announced the change via social media on Friday. The designation is long overdue. Islamic extremists and Fulani militants have killed thousands of Christians in recent years. Hours after Trump’s announcement, armed militants attacked two communities in central Nigeria, killing least 17 Christians.

Todd Nettleton with The Voice of the Martyrs, USA explains what the CPC designation means. “It gives the [U.S.] administration a pretty big toolbox of possible options that they can bring to bear — both carrots and sticks — to try to move a government towards better protection of religious freedom,” he says.

Since Friday’s announcement, Trump has also threatened military action if the Nigerian government does not take meaningful steps to protect its citizens.

“It certainly raises a lot of questions about the future,” says Nettleton.  “What are the options and what would the effectiveness be of an attempt by the U.S. military to ensure religious freedom in northern Nigeria?”

Nigerian children. (Photo courtesy of Victor Nnakwe/Unsplash)

Nigeria’s government insists that it guarantees religious freedom. But years of inaction and ongoing attacks on Christians in northern Nigeria tell another story.

“Certainly, there’s an argument to be made that the Nigerian government has not done everything they could. So now designating them as a Country of Particular Concern sort of puts the government on notice as opposed to identifying different terrorist groups that are involved in the persecution of Christians,” Nettleton says.

Some officials say that Nigeria’s violence comes from conflict over resources and are not religiously motivated. It’s a multilayered situation, but religion does play a part. Data compiled by the Observatory for Religious Freedom in Africa showed that for every Muslim killed in Nigeria’s violence between October 2019 and September 2024, there were 2.4 Christians killed.

Nigeria (Stock photo courtesy fo Gracious Adebayo via Unsplash)

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“Nigeria is relatively evenly divided between Muslims and Christians. The vast majority of Muslims live in the northern part of the country. That’s where we see Christian persecution most of the time,” says Nettleton.

“It’s important to understand the nuance of the country and the fact that there is this sort of dividing line, and most of the persecution is happening in the northern part of the country.”

Let this renewed CPC designation move you to pray for Nigeria. Pray for more Saul-to-Paul conversions of Muslim extremists and Fulani herdsmen.

“We need to pray for Christians in Nigeria. We need to pray for Christians in other countries around the world where they are persecuted,” says Nettleton.

Learn more about Nigeria’s long-running crisis here.

Header photo courtesy of The Voice of the Martyrs, USA.