United States President, Donald J. Trump, today announced his decision to designate Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern (CPC)” for alleged severe violations of religious freedom.

In a statement posted on social media, President Trump directly asserted that “Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter. I am hereby making Nigeria a ‘COUNTRY OF PARTICULAR CONCERN.’”

The CPC designation, mandated under the 1998 International Religious Freedom Act, applies to foreign governments that engage in or tolerate “systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom.” This designation opens the door for the United States to impose various punitive measures, which can include the withdrawal or limitation of U.S. aid, development assistance, and economic sanctions.

This action comes amid intense lobbying from U.S. lawmakers and international religious freedom advocacy groups, who argue that the security situation for Christians in Nigeria has dangerously deteriorated.

President Trump stated that the U.S. “cannot stand idly by while believers are slaughtered,” and emphasized that the designation provides the diplomatic leverage necessary to pressure the Nigerian government into taking decisive action to protect all its citizens.

The Nigerian government has  rejected claims that the violence constitutes a systematic attack on Christians or religious genocide. Nigerian officials often characterize the security challenges as complex, rooted in socio-economic issues, banditry, and communal conflicts, rather than purely faith-based persecution.

However, the CPC designation requires the State Department to publicly identify and take action against countries failing to halt religious persecution, significantly increasing international scrutiny on the Nigerian authorities. The president has also tasked certain lawmakers with immediately investigating the matter.