US Lawmakers Label Nigeria the ‘Deadliest Place to Be a Christian’

US Republican lawmakers have delivered a report to President Donald Trump warning that Nigeria has become “the deadliest place in the world to be a Christian”. The report follows months of hearings and briefings on religious violence against Christians in Africa’s most populous country and sets out a series of policy recommendations aimed at confronting what lawmakers describe as sustained and lethal persecution.

The issue of Christian safety in Nigeria was thrust into the spotlight when President Trump took to social media to denounce what he called an “existential threat” to Christianity due to an Islamic insurgency in the country.

In late October last year, President Trump designated Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern”, a classification reserved for governments that engage in severe violations of religious freedom. He subsequently asked lawmakers to examine the crisis more closely and report back with recommendations.

By November, the administration had escalated its response. The president instructed the Department of War to prepare for possible military action. That directive culminated in Christmas Day 2025 airstrikes, when the US Navy launched approximately 16 Tomahawk missiles at Islamic State militants operating in Nigeria.

The Issue of Christian Safety in Nigeria

The scale of the crisis has been reinforced by independent research. A recent report by Terence Corrigan of the Institute of Race Relations drew on findings from Open Doors, a Dutch charity that tracks religious persecution. Its World Watch List ranks Nigeria seventh globally for the severity of persecution faced by Christians. According to Open Doors, 388 million Christians worldwide endure significant forms of persecution, roughly one in seven believers.

Nigeria stands out in that data. Of the 4 849 Christians killed worldwide in 2025 for faith-related reasons, 3 490 were in Nigeria. The violence is attributed to a mix of Islamist insurgency in the north, intercommunal conflict between nomadic herders and settled farmers, and weak governance that leaves communities exposed.

At the same time, Nigeria presents what researchers describe as a “split personality”, with thriving megachurches and evangelisation ministries in some regions, and pogroms and church bombings in others.

Corrigan addresses criticism of Open Doors, including claims of bias and methodological flaws, but notes that research from secular bodies such as the Pew Research Center broadly supports the conclusion that Christians face unusually widespread hostility. Pew’s most recent global study found that Christians experienced some form of harassment in 166 of 192 countries and territories surveyed, more than adherents of any other faith.

According to Corrigan, Western governments, churches, and institutions have become reluctant to address Christian persecution openly. Trump has been one of the few global leaders who has flagged the challenges that Christians, particularly in parts of Africa, face.

US Lawmakers Urge Sanctions

Beyond documenting the crisis, the congressional report outlines a set of recommendations. It urges the administration to consider targeted sanctions against individuals and entities complicit in severe violations of religious freedom. It proposes appointing a senior-level envoy focused specifically on religious freedom in sub-Saharan Africa, increasing intelligence cooperation to track extremist networks, and expanding humanitarian aid. It further encourages sustained diplomatic pressure on Nigerian authorities to reform blasphemy laws.

The Opportunity for Nigeria

The Common Sense has previously argued that if the US maintains a firm stance on addressing Christian violence, it creates a unique opportunity in Africa: to transform the US-Africa narrative from one of aid dependency to a partnership in confronting a common threat.

Nigeria has cooperated with the US on military action against Islamic militants within its borders. However, the country remains steadfast in denying that the violence is specifically targeted at Christians. Instead, Nigeria has gone to great lengths to downplay the narrative of Christian persecution, most recently signing a significant $9 million lobbying contract with a prominent Washington firm to manage the issue. Prominent lawmakers have expressed concern, accusing Nigeria of prioritising public relations strategies to "sanitise" the reality of religious persecution, rather than addressing the threat of Islamic terrorism.