The House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa convened a hearing titled ‘Conflict and Persecution in Nigeria: The Case for a CPC Designation’ on Wednesday, where Chairman Chris Smith called for urgent action to address the escalating violence against Christians in Nigeria.
Smith restated the need to redesignate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC), a status that carries significant sanctions, to combat the growing persecution.
The hearing highlighted the alarming scale of violence targeting Christians in Nigeria. Archbishop Ignatius A. Kaigama expressed deep concern over the “seemingly endless violence,” which claimed at least 58 lives over the past weekend and hundreds more in recent weeks.
This violence has persisted for over a decade, with Smith recounting his 2013 visit to Jos, where he witnessed the aftermath of Boko Haram attacks on churches and met survivors who displayed remarkable resilience despite their suffering.
One survivor, Habila Adamu, shared his harrowing experience of being shot by Boko Haram after refusing to renounce his Christian faith. Adamu’s survival and testimony before Congress underscored the depth of religious persecution in Nigeria.
The hearing also addressed recent incidents, including the brutal murder of Father Sylvester, a Catholic priest kidnapped and executed by gunmen in early March. Bishop Julius Kundi condemned the wave of kidnappings and killings targeting clergy and faithful, describing them as “relentless and tragic.”
Bishop Wilfred Anagbe of Makurdi testified about the impunity enjoyed by militant Fulani herdsmen, whom he described as terrorists responsible for theft, vandalism, murder, and rape. Despite these atrocities, Nigerian authorities have failed to bring perpetrators to justice.
Smith criticised former President Joe Biden’s administration for reversing Nigeria’s CPC designation in 2021 without justification, despite recommendations from the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) to maintain it.
USCIRF has repeatedly called for redesignation, citing Nigeria as a “killing field of defenceless Christians.” Genocide Watch has similarly labelled the country as a site of religious cleansing.
The statistics presented were staggering: since 2009, over 18,000 churches have been destroyed in Northern Nigeria alone; between 2019 and 2023, 55,910 people were killed and 21,000 abducted in terror-related incidents. Additionally, nearly five million Christians have been displaced into Internally Displaced Persons camps.
