WASHINGTON DC: The United States House of Representatives Subcommittee on Africa will, on Thursday, November 20, 2025, hold an open hearing to examine President Donald Trump’s recent decision to redesignate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) over alleged religious persecution.
The CPC status, once ratified by the Senate, empowers the US to impose sanctions on Nigerian officials found complicit in religious rights violations and potentially restricts certain bilateral assistance.
It also sends a strong signal to the global community that the issue of religious freedom in Nigeria remains deeply troubling.
The hearing will take place at 11:00 a.m. in Room 2172 of the Rayburn House Office Building and will be streamed live. It will be chaired by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ).
Two panels of witnesses are expected, including senior US State Department officials and Nigerian religious leaders.
According to an invitation sent to members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, witnesses include:
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Jonathan Pratt, Senior Bureau Official, Bureau of African Affairs
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Jacob McGee, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor
The second panel will feature:
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Nina Shea, Director, Centre for Religious Freedom
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Bishop Wilfred Anagbe, Catholic Diocese of Makurdi
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Oge Onubogu, Centre for Strategic and International Studies
The hearing will review the extent of religious persecution in Nigeria and consider possible policy actions such as sanctions, humanitarian support, and deeper security cooperation.
On October 31, 2025, President Trump redesignated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern, alleging widespread attacks on Christian communities and claiming that Christianity in Nigeria faces an “existential threat.
He warned that the US could impose sweeping measures including potential military action if the Nigerian government failed to act.
Trump also threatened to end all US aid to Nigeria, describing the Nigerian government as failing to protect Christians from extremist groups.
President Bola Tinubu dismissed Trump’s allegations as a distortion of Nigeria’s reality. In a statement posted on his X handle, Tinubu maintained that Nigeria remains a democracy committed to religious freedom and tolerance.
Religious freedom and tolerance have been a core tenet of our collective identity,” he wrote. “Nigeria opposes religious persecution and does not encourage it.”
Bishop Wilfred Anagbe, one of the key witnesses for the congressional hearing, has previously spoken at the UK Parliament about recurring attacks on Christian communities in Benue State.
He described widespread killings, displacement, and church burnings attributed to Islamist extremists and armed Fulani herdsmen.
He recounted how many residents have been forced into Internally Displaced Persons camps after their homes and farmlands were destroyed.
Speaking to Fox News, Congressman Riley Moore (R-WV) insisted that there is serious persecution happening in Nigeria, accusing the Nigerian government of complicity.
Moore alleged that Christians are being killed at a ratio of five to one compared to Muslims and stressed that the US must intervene because “we are a Christian nation and must stand up for the persecuted.
He also said sanctions, restricted funding, and other enforcement mechanisms were being considered, adding that military action remains on the table.
Pope Leo XIV joined global voices raising alarm over the situation. In a post on his official X account, the pontiff lamented that Christians were facing discrimination and attacks in countries such as Nigeria, Mozambique, Sudan, and Bangladesh.
He urged prayers for peace and an end to violence.
Another US lawmaker, Bill Huizenga, told Arise TV that Trump was unlikely to authorize military action in Nigeria, suggesting the President’s comments were intended to pressure Nigeria to curb attacks.
Huizenga argued that economic sanctions may be more effective in starving violent groups of funding and movement.
Meanwhile, in an effort to quell persistent hostilities in Plateau State, President Tinubu dispatched Dr Abiodun Essiet, Senior Special Assistant on Community Engagement, to meet Christian leaders, the Miyetti Allah leadership, and other stakeholders.
According to presidential adviser Bayo Onanuga, Essiet oversaw a peace resolution involving compensation for destroyed farmland and pledged the government’s commitment to inclusive governance and long-term stability.
