By Godwin Okafor | Naija247news.com | Updated November 1, 2025
Former U.S. President Donald Trump has announced that Nigeria will be placed on a “watchlist for religious freedom,” claiming that Christians in the country are being “slaughtered” by Muslims — a statement that has sparked diplomatic unease and drawn sharp criticism from experts who say his claims are politically motivated and factually distorted.
In a social media post on Friday, Trump said he was directing the U.S. Department of State to designate Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” — a category created under the 1998 International Religious Freedom Act to identify nations accused of severe violations of religious rights.
“Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria,” Trump wrote. “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’s statement bypasses the normal diplomatic process, as such designations are typically made after recommendation from the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) — a bipartisan panel established by Congress to independently review global religious freedom violations.
A Familiar Narrative
This is not the first time Nigeria has been thrust into Washington’s religious politics.
During Trump’s presidency in 2020, the country was briefly added to the U.S. religious freedom blacklist but later removed under President Joe Biden, following pressure from Nigerian officials and international observers who argued that the classification was based on misleading narratives.
The latest move appears to revive that controversy — once again framing Nigeria’s complex internal conflicts in purely religious terms.
Experts Say It’s More Complicated
Security researchers and religious scholars have challenged Trump’s portrayal of Nigeria as a place where Christians are systematically persecuted by Muslims.
According to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED), violent incidents in Nigeria are driven by multiple overlapping crises — insurgency, banditry, political instability, and competition for land and water — rather than religious persecution alone.
“To suggest that Christians are being killed because of their religion is inaccurate,” said Dr. Funmi Olonisakin, a conflict resolution expert at King’s College London. “While Boko Haram and some extremist factions invoke Islam as justification for violence, most farmer-herder or community clashes are about resources, governance failure, and poverty — not faith.”
The Nigerian government has repeatedly denied allegations of state-backed religious persecution.
A spokesperson for the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation, Mr. Rabiu Ibrahim, described Trump’s claim as “deeply uninformed,” adding that “Nigeria is home to over 200 million people of diverse beliefs who coexist under a secular constitution that protects freedom of religion.”
Nigeria’s Religious Landscape
Nigeria’s population is roughly split between a Muslim-majority north and a Christian-majority south, with millions also practicing indigenous religions.
While extremist groups such as Boko Haram and ISWAP continue to terrorize communities in the northeast, most of the country’s religious leaders have maintained interfaith dialogue and coexistence.
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) issued a cautious statement acknowledging that some Christian communities have suffered violence, but warned against Trump’s “divisive rhetoric.”
“We appreciate global concern for the safety of Christians,” CAN’s spokesperson Rev. Joseph Daramola said. “However, we reject narratives that pit Christians against Muslims. Our nation’s pain is shared across faiths — Muslims, Christians, and traditionalists have all suffered from insecurity.”
Similarly, the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) described Trump’s comments as “reckless and unhelpful,” accusing him of “stoking religious tension for political gain.”
Political Undertones and Evangelical Strategy
Observers in Washington say Trump’s new declaration has little to do with Nigeria itself and more to do with American domestic politics.
Since returning to political prominence, Trump has sought to reinforce his image as a defender of Christianity — a message that resonates strongly with the evangelical voting bloc, which remains one of his most loyal constituencies.
At a prayer breakfast earlier this year, Trump announced the creation of a “Faith in America Task Force” to “root out anti-Christian bias” within U.S. institutions.
He later pushed a policy memo allowing federal employees to “share their faith openly” at work — a move that critics said blurred the line between church and state.
“This is red-meat rhetoric for Trump’s evangelical base,” said Dr. Paul Nsubuga, a political analyst at Georgetown University. “Citing Nigeria allows him to talk about global Christian persecution without having to address domestic religious controversies.”
Potential Impact on U.S.–Nigeria Relations
If the U.S. State Department were to act on Trump’s recommendation, Nigeria could face restrictions on military aid, trade, or visa access, under the International Religious Freedom Act.
This would come at a sensitive time when Nigeria is seeking expanded security cooperation with the U.S. to combat terrorism, piracy, and cybercrime.
In 2021, Nigeria purchased 12 A-29 Super Tucano fighter jets from the U.S. under a $500 million counterterrorism deal. Analysts warn that renewed diplomatic tension could stall similar defense partnerships.
The Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a brief statement that it would “study the implications of the announcement” but urged Washington “to avoid simplistic classifications that fail to reflect on-the-ground realities.”
Historical Pattern of Western Framing
This is not the first time Western politicians have portrayed African conflicts through a religious lens.
In 2020, U.S. Senator Ted Cruz and a group of conservative lawmakers introduced resolutions accusing Nigeria of “mass murder of Christians” — a claim that rights groups said was exaggerated and politically convenient.
Human rights organizations have urged Washington to focus on root causes of violence, including corruption, governance failure, and youth unemployment, rather than promoting narratives that could deepen ethnic and religious division.
“What Nigeria needs is security sector reform, not spiritual sensationalism,” said Osai Ojigho, former Director of Amnesty International Nigeria. “Statements like Trump’s feed into conspiracy theories and can actually endanger local faith communities.”
Humanitarian Crisis Beyond Religion
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that 30.8 million Nigerians need humanitarian aid in 2025 — the highest figure in West Africa.
While conflict in the northeast has displaced over 2 million people, new violence in the Northwest and Middle Belt has also left thousands homeless and hungry.
International donors warn that “religionizing” the crisis may discourage non-Christian aid agencies from contributing, potentially worsening food insecurity.
A Region Watching Closely
Other African nations are monitoring the situation, wary that Trump’s comments could embolden extremist groups or spark interfaith suspicion across borders.
In Cameroon, Mali, and Niger — where Christian and Muslim communities also coexist under stress — religious leaders have issued joint statements urging peace and restraint.
Conclusion
While Trump’s announcement may play well among his U.S. supporters, it risks undermining diplomatic cooperation and distorting Nigeria’s complex realities.
The real challenge, experts say, is not about religion — but about security, governance, and equitable development.
“The danger of a single narrative,” wrote Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, “is not that it is untrue, but that it is incomplete.”
Trump’s framing of Nigeria may once again prove that point.
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Reporting by Naija247news in Lagos, Nigeria.
