Alleged Christian Genocide: U.S. Rep Urges Trump to Designate Nigeria as ‘Country of Particular Concern’

Rep. Riley M. Moore, a U.S. congressman representing West Virginia’s Second District, has written a formal letter urging the United States government to re-designate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) due to what he described as ongoing religious persecution and violence.

In the letter dated October 6, 2025, and addressed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Moore called for the immediate suspension of arms sales and technical support to Nigeria until the government demonstrates a concrete commitment to ending what he termed the “reign of persecution and slaughter.”

According to Moore, between January and September 2025, over 7,000 Christians were reportedly killed by “Muslim extremist groups,” while at least 250 Catholic priests have allegedly been attacked or killed since 2015. He further claimed that a total of 19,100 churches have been attacked or destroyed in Nigeria between the Boko Haram uprising in 2009 and the present year.

The letter, seen by NIGERIA NEWS 247 on Tuesday, echoes previous concerns raised by U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, television host Bill Maher, and political analyst Van Jones, all of whom have accused the Nigerian government of allowing what they described as a “Christian genocide.”

In a recent podcast with Maher, Senator Cruz reiterated the claim, stating that Christians are being systematically targeted and killed in Nigeria, and described the crisis as a “genocide.”

Notably, Nigeria had been designated a Country of Particular Concern during President Donald Trump’s first term, but the designation was later lifted by former President Joe Biden.

Responding to the renewed calls for designation, the Nigerian government dismissed the allegations, describing them as baseless and inflammatory.

In a statement, Sunday Dare, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Public Communication, refuted the claims of targeted religious violence, insisting that Nigeria’s security challenges are not motivated by religion.

“These foreign commentators are orchestrating wild allegations about an unproven ongoing genocide. Such narratives are misleading, dangerous, and designed to stoke division,” Dare said.

He urged both Nigerians and the international community to reject what he described as attempts to falsely portray the country as a hub of religious violence.

The issue of Nigeria’s CPC designation remains a subject of international debate, as human rights groups, lawmakers, and government officials continue to clash over the root causes and framing of the country’s complex security challenges.