Trump declares Nigeria ‘country of particular concern’ over Christian genocide claims

United States President Donald Trump has declared Nigeria as a ‘country of particular concern’ in response to allegations of a Christian genocide in the country.

Trump announced his decision in a Truth Social post on Friday, which was shared on the White House’s X handle.

Trump alleged that thousands of Christians are being killed in Nigeria by “radical Islamists” carrying out “mass slaughter,” and referenced a figure claiming 3,100 Christian deaths in the country. He did not provide further evidence to support the claim in his post.

According to him, the situation for Christians in Nigeria has reached an alarming level. Entire villages have been burned to the ground, worshippers killed during Sunday services, and thousands displaced by Islamist groups sweeping through the country’s northern and central regions.

In June, militants attacked the village of a bishop, just days after he testified before Congress about Christian persecution, leaving more than twenty people dead. Similar assaults in Plateau and Benue states have killed hundreds this year alone, with survivors describing how gunmen shouted “Allahu Akbar” as they torched churches and homes.

According to the international watchdog group Open Doors, nearly 70% of all Christians killed for their faith worldwide last year were in Nigeria. The group warned that Boko Haram, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), and Fulani militant herders are responsible for most of the bloodshed, often targeting Christian farmers in the country’s Middle Belt. Rights organisations estimate that thousands of believers are murdered every year, while countless others are forced to flee.

Mark Walker, President Trump’s ambassador-designate for International Religious Freedom, told Fox News Digital that the United States must do what it can to pressure Nigeria’s government to act.

Pope Leo XIV condemned the killings of up to 200 people in Yelewata community in Nigeria.

“Even being conservative, it’s probably 4,000 to 8,000 Christians killed annually,” Walker said. “This has been going on for years — from ISWAP to Islamist Fulani ethnic militias — and the Nigerian government has to be much more proactive.”