Christians in Africa's largest nation continue to be terrorized, kidnapped, and murdered. In fact, at least 5,000 Nigerian Christians were murdered in 2022 alone, and an additional 1,000 were killed within the first 100 days of 2023.
Lela Gilbert, coalitions coordinator and senior fellow for international religious freedom at the Family Research Council (FRC), says the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has once again recommended that the State Department establish Nigeria as a "country of particular concern" (CPC).
"It was established as that under President Trump, and the minute the Biden administration came on board, it was less than a year, it was taken away with no explanation," Gilbert laments. "So, it's recommended again by the Commission."
The designation permits the U.S. to take certain action, including sanctions against those thought to be responsible for persecution in Nigeria and elsewhere.
"I'm in touch with people there, and I have to tell you, the suffering on the ground -- not just because people have died, but because people are refugees, people have fled; they have no place to go -- it's the biggest heartbreak in the world right now as far as international religious freedom is concerned, and certainly regarding Christians," Gilbert submits.
Meanwhile, no country has taken any action so far, which means the slaughter of Christians will continue unabated.
"It's really an intention to remove Christians from the region by radical Islamists," the FRC spokesperson asserts.
