The United States House of Representatives Subcommittee on Africa has set Thursday, November 20, 2025, as the date to begin an investigation into President Donald Trump’s recent redesignation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern, over Christian killings in Nigeria.
The invite to the members of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, sighted by Channels Television, scheduled for 11:00 am in Room 2172 of the Rayburn House Office Building and available via live webcast, will be chaired by Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ).
It will feature two panels of witnesses, including senior US State Department officials and Nigerian religious leaders.
The invite read, “You are respectfully requested to attend an open hearing of the Committee on Foreign Affairs to be held by the Subcommittee on Africa at 11:00 a.m. in Room 2172 of the Rayburn House Office Building.”
Nigeria was first designated CPC by Trump in 2020, before his successor, President Joe Biden, removed the country from the list after defeating Trump.
On October 31, 2025, President Trump again designated Nigeria a ‘’Country of Particular Concern’’ for religious freedom violations.
Trump’s designation comes amid repeated attacks on Christian communities in Nigeria, including killings by Islamic extremist groups, kidnappings, and the destruction of churches.
The President of the United States cited alleged severe violations of religious freedom, particularly the persecution of Christians.
He claimed that Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria, with thousands of Christians being killed by radical Islamists.
Trump warned that the US would take action, including potential military intervention, if Nigeria did not address the issue.
The US President also threatened to halt all aid and assistance to Nigeria should President Bola Tinubu’s administration fail to end the alleged persecution and killing of Christians.
“If the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the USA will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria, and may very well go into that now-disgraced country, ‘guns-a-blazing,’ to completely wipe out the Islamic terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities.
“I am hereby instructing our Department of War to prepare for possible action. If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our cherished Christians,” he said on November 1, 2025.
The hearing panelists will include Senior Bureau Official of the Bureau of African Affairs, Jonathan Pratt, and Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, Jacob McGee.
The second panel will feature the Director of the Centre for Religious Freedom, Ms Nina Shea; Bishop Wilfred Anagbe of Makurdi Catholic Diocese in Nigeria; and Ms Oge Onubogu of the Centre for Strategic & International Studies.
The congressional hearing is expected to review the scope of religious persecution in Nigeria.
It will also weigh potential policy responses, including targeted sanctions, humanitarian assistance, and collaboration with Nigerian authorities to prevent further violence.
The bill is also before the Senate of the United States, sponsored by Senator Ted Cruz.
Genocide Tag Not A Reflection Of Nigeria’s Religious Diversity — Tinubu
Reacting through a statement on his official X handle, President Bola Tinubu said the claim does not reflect the country’s constitutional commitment to religious liberty.
“Nigeria stands firmly as a democracy governed by constitutional guarantees of religious liberty. The characterisation of Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our national reality.
“Religious freedom and tolerance have been a core tenet of our collective identity and shall always remain so. Nigeria opposes religious persecution and does not encourage it,” the President said.
Pope Leo XIV Expresses Concerns
The development comes as Pope Leo XIV has also voiced concern over violence allegedly targeting Christians in Nigeria and other countries.
He cited Nigeria and some other African countries, as well as Bangladesh in South Asia, as hotspot regions where worship centres were allegedly being targeted by attackers.
In a post on his verified X handle, @Pontifex, the Pope lamented that Christians were suffering discrimination and persecution.
“In various parts of the world, Christians suffer discrimination and persecution. I think especially of Bangladesh, Nigeria, Mozambique, Sudan, and other countries from which we frequently hear of attacks on communities and places of worship,” the Pope said. “God is a merciful Father who desires peace among all His children!”
He also prayed “for the families of Kivu, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where in recent days there has been a massacre of civilians. Let us pray that all violence may cease and that believers may work together for the common good.”
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Tinubu Dispatches Emissary
President Tinubu dispatched an emissary, Dr Abiodun Essiet, to Plateau State last Thursday, in a bid to restore peace and foster inter-communal harmony in Plateau State.
Essiet, a Senior Special Assistant on Community Engagement in the North Central Zone, met Christian clerics and Fulani Miyetti Allah community leaders.
She also paid a courtesy visit to the Chairman of the Regional Church Council in Barkin Ladi, Rev. Ezekiel Dachomo, who has been a voice of Christian communities in the state.
According to a statement by the Special Adviser to the President (Information & Strategy), Bayo Onanuga, Essiet also held a closed-door meeting with the Irigwe community, the Miyetti Allah group, and representatives from the Youth Council of Bassa Local Government Area.
Essiet said the President remained committed to peace and inclusive governance, noting that the community-based peace structure served as a key instrument for grassroots unity, dialogue, and long-term stability in the North Central region.
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