Nigerian Catholic leaders respond to call to label Nigeria ‘country of particular concern’

ACI Africa, Oct 16, 2025 / 10:18 am

Catholic leaders in Nigeria have weighed in on a recent call by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) for the Trump administration to redesignate Nigeria as a country of particular concern (CPC) over alleged Christian persecution.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, introduced legislation in September that would require the Trump administration to adopt the CPC designation in addition to imposing targeted sanctions against Nigerian government officials who facilitate or permit jihadist attacks against Christians and other religious minorities.

In interviews with ACI Africa, CNA’s news partner in Africa, on Oct. 14, Nigerian Catholic Church leaders shared their views on the Christian persecution in the west African nation, expressing varied opinions on the U.S. proposed legislation.

The curate of Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Nigeria’s Archdiocese of Abuja, Father Maximilian Okpong Peter, supported Cruz’s concern, describing it as “a reflection of Nigeria’s reality.”

“Persecution in Nigeria cannot be viewed in isolation. It is tied to deep sociopolitical divisions and bad governance. If people were well-educated and engaged, they would seek unity instead of division,” Okpong said.

He added: “Those who are persecuted must have faith and hope. It is not about who is right or wrong but about what the Lord Jesus has instructed us — to be one, to be unified, and to express our unity through love for one another.”

Okpong warned that religion is often exploited as a tool of division because it touches people’s deepest emotions.

“People use religion as a basis for violence because it is the easiest way to divide people. But for us Christians, even as we struggle, we must believe that God is one. The only thing that binds us together is love,” Okpong said.

The priest called on authorities in Nigeria to prioritize human life and dignity over politics and culture, urging the government to demonstrate “a sincere commitment to justice and equal protection.”

ACI Africa also spoke on Oct. 14 to the national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies Nigeria, Father Solomon Patrick Zaku, who said Cruz’s statement reflects a complex reality that requires honest national introspection.

“The insecurity in Nigeria affects all Christians, Muslims, and traditional believers. But it is true that Christians have suffered in unique ways,” Zaku said. He explained that the nature of persecution varies from one region to another.

“In some places in Nigeria, Christians find it difficult to get land to build churches, even with their own money. In other places, they struggle to gain employment because they are Christians,” he said. “There are also places where Christians cannot freely practice their religion due to fear of persecution.”

When asked about the accuracy of Cruz’s claim that over 52,000 Christians have been killed, Zaku noted that while the figures might not be up to date, they reflect years of widespread violence.

“I’m not sure from which time to which time he started his research, but we know that since the Boko Haram insurgency began about 15 or 16 years ago, many people — both Christians and Muslims — have been killed. At the beginning, most of the affected communities were Christian-populated areas,” he said.

The priest acknowledged that the situation has somewhat improved in recent years, saying: “Today, we can say there is improvement. People are still being killed, but not like before. His statement would have made more sense if it had come earlier, when persecution was really taking place. Though there are still cases of insecurity in different parts of the country, we can say the situation has improved to some extent.”

Nigerian civil engineer and filmmaker Leo Okwesi agreed that the U.S. senator’s call is a wake-up call for Nigeria’s leaders.

“Ordinarily, as a Nigerian, one would say, what’s the meaning of that? But the reality is that we can’t handle our security risks in this country,” Okwesi said. “Government is supposed to protect lives and citizens. That’s part of their duty.”

He added: “I think we should be listed even more than once. Maybe when that listing begins to affect government officials’ ability to travel abroad, they will start to rethink. Right now, everyone in power does what is good in his own sight. They need a check, and I think this is a check.”

Okwesi called for decisive international pressure, saying: “Heads must roll for things to get better. If my generation has lost it, then my children should have a better country.”

He continued: “The government should sit up, or the international community should impose sanctions, so that we will look inwards. Maybe when there’s a restriction to this mass exodus abroad, we’ll be forced to fix things here,” he told ACI Africa.

In a divergent opinion, the national director of mission and dialogue at the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria, Father Lawrence Emehel, questioned the timing of Cruz’s latest proposal, saying “the situation today is not as widespread or as dangerous as it used to be.”

Emehel observed that the earlier removal of Nigeria from the CPC was wrong, especially when the killings were at their peak.

“Christians were actually persecuted and suffered grave injustices in some parts of the country. Removing Nigeria from the list at that time was wrong because that was when the killing of Christians was at its peak,” Emehel said.

“If this question had come eight or 10 years ago, I would have agreed. But now, things have changed. There are still pockets of violence, but not widespread persecution as it is being portrayed,” he noted.

Emehel, a priest in Nigeria’s Sokoto Diocese, cautioned against interpreting all violent attacks as religiously motivated, citing the recent killings in Yelewata, Benue state, and other parts of the Middle Belt as examples of “pure criminality” rather than faith-based aggression.

“Many of those involved are hired criminals with no religious agenda. We must be careful not to give these incidents a religious coloration because it makes resolution more difficult,” Emehel said.

He also faulted government efforts to address insecurity, saying authorities “speak like politicians” and fail to admit their shortcomings.

“The killings show that their efforts have failed. Nigerian lives no longer matter. People are now just statistics,” Emehel said.

This story was first published by ACI Africa, CNA’s news partner in Africa, and has been adapted by CNA.