United States congressmen have urged the U.S government to take tougher action against countries violating of religious freedom, citing Nigeria as one of them.
The call to action came amid growing concerns over the rise of religious persecution and violence worldwide.
According to witnesses testifying before the US Congress Foreign Affairs Committee, Nigeria is at risk of descending into widespread Christian-Muslim violence, with the country being described as the deadliest place on the planet to be a Christian by former US Ambassador, Sam Brownback.
The committee’s hearing, convened by the Subcommittee on Africa and the Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, aimed to assess the mounting threats to religious freedom globally.
The US government had previously designated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern, CPC, over alleged religious freedom violations.
However, those that testified at the hearing argued that the US government had not done enough to protect vulnerable groups, with some calling for more stringent measures, including sanctions and economic penalties.
Speaking at the congregational hearing, Rep. Chris Smith, Chairman, House Foreign Affairs Africa, emphasised the need for the US government to take a more stricter stance on religious freedom, citing countries such as China, North Korea, Sudan, and Nigeria as examples of governments that severely restrict or violate the right to practice one’s faith.
He noted that Nigeria had taken small actions in addressing religiou violence, adding that the CPC designation was a phenomenal first step.
He called for the government to apply other policy tools, including sanctions and other economic penalties.
“On the topic of Nigeria, President Trump’s Country of Particular Concern (CPC) designation in October was necessary, long-overdue, and bold.
“In his first administration, with the strong backing of his Ambassador-at-Large, San Brownback, who testified at my 2020 hearing, President Trump recognised that the mass killings by Boko Haram, ISIS West Africa, and armed Fulani terrorists against Christians in the Middle Belt, which were clearly motivated by ethnic and religious animus, meant Nigeria met the criteria for a CPC designation, and was so designated.
“Tragically and inexplicably, President Biden and Secretary Blinken took Nigeria off the list—effectively giving the Nigerian government a free pass for enabling religious violence. Genocide Watch has called Nigeria ‘a killing field of defenseless Christians.’
“That wrong in our foreign policy has been righted with the President’s CPC designation. We commend and thank him for that action.
“Now, while the iron is hot, we must urge the government of Nigeria to protect the rights of persecuted Christians and non-radical Muslims. The CPC designation is a phenomenal first step, but in statute, it is accompanied by 15 different policy tools, including sanctions and other economic penalties that can and must be employed to improve the situation on the ground.
“We cannot take our eye off the ball. Christians in the Middle Belt are still being massacred. The government of Nigeria has taken small steps, but a culture of denial by Nigerian officials persists.
“I am deeply concerned that Nigeria has hired the K-Street lobbying firm DCI to the tune of $9 million (that’s $750,000 a month), and a Nigerian billionaire has entered into a $120,000-a-month contract with Valcour to influence Congress and the executive branch.
Following the President’s CPC designation for Nigeria, it’s time for the Department of State to issue the full list of CPC designations,” he said.
He emphasised the importance of US leadership in promoting religious freedom globally and protecting vulnerable religious groups.
In a prepared submissions ahead of the hearing, Sam Brownback, former US Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, identified Nigeria as “the deadliest place on the planet to be a Christian,” pointing to increasing patterns of violence, displacement, and insecurity.
He warned that early signs of a wider “Muslim-on-Christian war” were emerging across Africa, with Nigeria at the center of this danger.
Brownback expressed concerns over the influence of foreign actors, specifically mentioning China, Russia, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia, in Nigeria’s security environment, suggesting their involvement complicates stability.
He stated that militant Islam was conducting purification efforts in the MENA region and beyond, with Nigeria and Syria serving as key areas of focus where other faiths are excluded.
