U.S. lawmaker Riley Moore, has delivered a detailed report to the White House following Nigeria’s recent designation as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) over ongoing religious freedom concerns, particularly relating to attacks on Christian communities.
Republican Rep. Riley Moore said in a post on X on Thursday that President Donald Trump made the CPC designation “due to the horrific persecution of Christians & serious security threats the country faces,” adding that he was asked to lead the investigation and delivered his findings to the White House on Monday.
The CPC label is used under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 to identify countries that the U.S. government believes are engaging in or tolerating systematic, ongoing and egregious violations of religious freedom. Nigeria was reinstated on this list on October 31, 2025, after being removed in 2021. President Trump’s announcement cited what he described as mass killings and persecution of Christians in parts of the country.
In his post, Moore said the recommendations submitted to the White House emphasize a range of actions, including strengthened security cooperation with Nigeria, expanded counter-terrorism collaboration, and enhanced intelligence support.
The report also urges the U.S. to consider sanctions against individuals and groups accused of participating in or tolerating violence against Christians, as well as visa restrictions for alleged perpetrators. Additional suggestions include increased oversight of U.S. financial assistance, anti-money laundering measures, and intelligence assessments to better understand patterns of sectarian and communal violence.
The recommendations further call on U.S. authorities to use existing presidential directives to “name and shame perpetrators of violence,” push for armed groups to be disarmed, and work with international partners such as France, Hungary and the United Kingdom to confront insecurity in Nigeria.
“President Trump is reviewing the proposed recommendations,” Moore said.
The Nigerian government has strongly rejected the CPC designation, saying it is based on flawed data and misunderstanding of the country’s security challenges. Officials argue that terrorism, not religious persecution, is the primary issue and that the government has taken steps to combat extremist violence affecting all communities.
Nigeria has faced persistent insecurity for years, including insurgency by groups such as Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) in the northeast, and communal conflicts in the central and northern regions that have often taken on religious and ethnic dimensions.
It remains unclear which specific actions the U.S. administration will take following its review of the report, though the designation itself marks a significant moment in U.S.–Nigeria relations highlighting deep international concern over human rights and religious freedom conditions in Africa’s most populous nation.
