The Federal Government has debunked United States’ President Donald Trump’s claims of alleged ‘large-scale killings’ of Christians in Nigeria, and his call for the country to be redesignated as a ‘Country of Particular Concern (CPC)’.
Nigeria was first designated a CPC in 2020, during the last year of Trump’s first term.
The Joe Biden administration later removed the country from the list.
In a statement by the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa, the Nigerian government, while it appreciates the global concern for human rights and religious freedom, Trump’s claims ‘do not reflect the situation on the ground. Nigerians of all faiths have long lived, worked, and worshipped together peacefully’.
The Foreign Ministry said: ‘Under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Nigeria remains committed to fighting terrorism, strengthening interfaith harmony, and protecting the lives and rights of all its people.
‘Nigeria will continue to engage constructively with the Government of the United States to deepen mutual understanding of regional dynamics and the country’s ongoing peace and security efforts’.
In response to allegations of a Christian genocide in Nigeria, Trump last Friday declared Nigeria a ‘country of particular concern’, in a Truth Social post on Friday, which was shared on the White House’s X handle.
According to a publication by the Family Research Council in 2022, to declare a country a “country of particular concern” is an official designation typically made by the US government, primarily the Secretary of State, under specific US laws.
The exact meaning and implications of the designation depend on the specific legislation applied, but it generally indicates that the country engages in activities detrimental to US interests or universal human rights standards.
When the US designates a CPC, Congress is notified to impose non-economic policy options designed to bring about cessation of the particularly severe violations of religious freedom.
Where these options have been exhausted, an economic measure follows.
Trump wrote: ‘Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands of Christians are being killed’, blaming radical Islamists for ‘mass slaughter’.
‘I am hereby making Nigeria a ‘COUNTRY OF PARTICULAR CONCERN’’, he declared.
Trump said that when Christians are slaughtered like is happening in Nigeria (3,100 versus 4,476 worldwide), something must be done.
He did not mention where he cited the figures from.
‘The United States cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening in Nigeria and numerous other countries’.
Trump said he would ask Congressmen Riley Moore and Tom Cole and the House Appropriations committee to immediately look into this matter.
Moore, alongside Senator Ted Cruz had been at the forefront of the claims, asking US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio to make the designation.
A designation of a CPC is given by the US Secretary of State under authority delegated by the President.
In September, Cruz introduced a bill calling for ‘targeted sanctions against Nigerian officials who enforce Sharia and blasphemy laws’, and a designation of Nigeria as a CPC.
The bill came just weeks before Trump signed a memo labelling views leaning towards anti-Americanism, anti-capitalism, and anti-Christianity as domestic terrorism.
However, the calls were renewed in March when the US Congress heard proposals from lawmakers seeking the imposition of sanctions on Nigeria as a CPC.
Trump’s redesignation of the country as a CPC comes despite rebuttals from Nigeria about the claims.
Last month, President Bola Tinubu said the allegations of a religious genocide in the country were unfounded.
He said the country is built on the faith and resilience of its people, adding that no religion is under threat.
Members of Trump’s administration have also debunked the claims.
Earlier this month, Trump’s Senior Adviser on Arab and African Affairs, Massad Boulos said that people of all religions and all tribes were victims of terrorist acts in the country.
Vatican Secretary of State, Pietro Parolin had also dismissed reports of a religious war in Nigeria, saying attacks in the country stem from social causes.
