In December 2019, the U.S. placed Nigeria on its special watch list over the government’s tolerance of severe violations of religious freedom.
Several human rights organisations have asked U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to designate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) over the murder of hundreds of Christians.
At least twenty-four interest organisations, which included religious groups led by Advancing American Freedom, Alliance Defending Freedom, the Hudson Institute, former Ambassador Sam Brownback and former defence and national security officials, called for action against Nigeria over the killings.
The groups recalled the suspected herdsmen attacks on Plateau communities during the yuletide. Over 150 were killed on Christmas Eve.
“Less than two weeks ago, almost 200 Nigerian Christians became martyrs while celebrating Christmas. According to one account, these Christians were ‘killed for sport.’ Just weeks earlier, the Christian Association of Nigeria received a letter threatening them against celebrating Christmas.
“The international religious freedom community stands outraged at your refusal to hold these acts of evil to account,” the organisations said.
They added, “The eyes of the world look to the United States as a beacon of hope and freedom. Religious freedom is grounded in the American founding, enshrined in the Bill of Rights, and quintessential to what it means to be an American. When the United States stands silent as evil runs amok, the world takes notice.”
The push to list Nigeria as a CPC came after a catholic-inspired think tank group, Intersociety, claimed that Islamic militants have brutally murdered at least 52,250 Christians in the last 14 years.
Led by its director, Emeka Umeagbalasi, the human rights advocacy group claimed that over 500 Christians were killed last year in January alone. It accused the Nigerian government at various levels of complicity in the killings of the worshippers, predicting that the most populous African nation may be on the brink of a “religious war.”
On January 4, Mr Blinken announced that he would designate some countries, including Iran and Russia, as CPC; however, Nigeria, notable for religious crisis and killings, was left off the list.
According to Pew Research, Nigeria has the largest Christian population of any country in Africa, with over 80 million believers.
In December 2019, the U.S. placed Nigeria on its special watch list over the government’s tolerance of severe violations of religious freedom.
Then, the blacklisting did not come until December 2020, when the U.S. finally designated Nigeria as CPC under immediate past President Muhammadu Buhari, following the spate of killings and brutal murders in the north.
The designation could attract economic issues for Nigeria. The American government could deny Nigeria credit loans under OPIC by directing the executive directors of international financial institutions to oppose and vote against loans primarily benefiting the specific foreign government.
The U.S. government could also deny Nigeria exports under certain instruments such as the Arms Export Control Act. It could also prohibit America from procuring goods and services from the country.
