US Insists Nigeria Should Retain CPC Status Over Continued Attacks on Christians

The United States has maintained that Nigeria should retain its Country of Particular Concern (CPC) designation, with a senior American official telling lawmakers that continued attacks and inadequate security responses show that the country has yet to make sufficient progress in protecting vulnerable Christian communities.

Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Frank Garcia stated this on Thursday during a congressional hearing on violence and religious freedom in Nigeria.

The issue came up when US Congressman Riley Moore questioned the American government’s assessment of Nigeria’s efforts to dismantle armed militia strongholds and kidnapping camps, particularly in parts of the Middle Belt, including Benue and Plateau states.

Moore also raised concerns about the exclusion of the two states from the forest guard initiative and delays in deploying 1,000 approved guards to Plateau State. He questioned the progress made in addressing the security threats facing communities in the region.

Before Garcia could respond, Moore cautioned against removing Nigeria’s CPC designation, arguing that the country had not done enough to address the concerns that led to the classification.

“Before you answer that, we cannot take this CPC designation off of this country. They have not done enough,” Moore said.

Garcia acknowledged that Nigeria had yet to record the level of progress expected, although he maintained that the Nigerian government was taking steps to address the security challenges.

He said Nigeria’s security capacity was still being developed and expressed concern that the deployment of personnel and other measures was not happening quickly enough.

“Unfortunately, the violence has not stopped,” Garcia said, pointing to continued attacks in Kaduna and Plateau states.

The US official also outlined some of Washington’s support for Nigeria’s security efforts, including police training, the provision of equipment, expanded intelligence sharing and cooperation with Nigerian financial institutions to disrupt terrorist financing.

He added that the United States would sustain diplomatic engagement and security cooperation with Nigeria, with the aim of protecting vulnerable communities and ensuring accountability for those responsible for attacks.

Nigeria’s CPC designation has remained a contentious issue in relations between both countries, particularly amid disagreements over the nature and causes of violence affecting communities across the country.

The Nigerian government has repeatedly rejected allegations of a Christian genocide or a coordinated campaign of religious persecution, maintaining that insecurity affects both Christians and Muslims and is driven by multiple factors, including terrorism, banditry and communal violence.

The US position, however, indicates that concerns over attacks on Christian communities and the Nigerian government’s response remain central to Washington’s assessment of the country’s religious freedom record.