The Nigeria designation as a country of particular concern (CPC) for violations of religious freedom has been requested by US senators to President Joe Biden.
The US Department of State originally classified Nigeria as a CPC in December 2020 as a result of the nation’s regular religious strife and Boko Haram group attacks.
However, the nation was removed from the list in November 2021, which infuriated numerous human rights organizations.
A resolution urging the state department to include Nigeria on the yearly CPC list was brought up by lawmakers on Tuesday.
In a statement, Chris Smith, the New Jersey representative, said Christians bear the brunt of the persecution in the country.
He said the Biden administration’s decision to exclude Nigeria from the list was an “unjustified decision”, adding that the re-inclusion was a “necessary fight to protect victims of religious persecution”.
“Last year alone, 5,014 Christians were killed in Nigeria — accounting for nearly 90% of Christian deaths worldwide as well [as] 90% of Christian kidnappings across the globe,” Smith said.
“The Biden administration must act immediately and redesignate Nigeria as a country of particular concern to mitigate this alarming and growing threat to religious liberty.”
French Hill, the Arkansas representative, described Biden’s removal of Nigeria from the list as a “political move”.
“In 2020, Nigeria was a country of particular concern (CPC). Despite little having changed in Nigeria’s treatment of religious freedom since then, the Biden Administration continues to leave Nigeria off the CPC list for political gain,” Hill said.
“This resolution sends an important message to the Biden administration and the government of Nigeria that the US Congress sees what is happening there and will continue to speak out against the ongoing violence and the government’s inadequate response.”
Nigeria has the highest percentage of Christians of any African nation, according to the Pew Research Center.
According to TheCable, in the year 2022, armed men killed at least 39 Catholic priests and kidnapped 30 more.
The worst affected region was the north-central, which saw 12 fatalities, while the north-west saw nine. While the north, east, and west each saw four fatalities, the south, southeast, and south-south each saw five.
Isaac Achi, a priest of St. Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Kafin-Koro, Paikoro LGA of Niger state, was recently murdered by terrorists.
Early in the morning, Achi was set ablaze to death in his home.
According to Wasiu Abiodun, a spokesman for the Niger police, the terrorists destroyed the house after being unable to enter the priest’s home and shooting a second priest who was attempting to flee the attackers.
US senators and other concerned parties have consistently demanded that Nigeria be reinstated on the special watch list since the nation was removed from the CPC list.