The U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Africa will hold a public hearing on Thursday, November 20, 2025, to review President Donald Trump’s recent decision to reclassify Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC).
If confirmed by the Senate, the designation would allow Washington to impose sanctions on Nigerian officials accused of religious persecution and limit certain bilateral assistance. It also signals to the global community that religious freedom in Nigeria remains under serious threat.
The session is set for 11:00 a.m. in Room 2172 of the Rayburn House Office Building and will be livestreamed. Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ) will preside over the hearing, which will feature two panels of witnesses, including senior U.S. State Department officials and Nigerian religious leaders.
Lawmakers are expected to assess the scale of religious persecution in Nigeria and explore possible policy responses, ranging from targeted sanctions to humanitarian aid and deeper collaboration with Nigerian authorities to address violence.
President Trump announced Nigeria’s CPC redesignation on October 31, citing what he described as severe violations of religious freedom, particularly against Christians. He warned that Christianity faced an existential threat in Nigeria, claiming thousands of believers had been killed by extremist Islamist groups.
Trump further threatened to suspend all U.S. aid to Nigeria and hinted at potential military intervention if President Bola Tinubu’s government failed to stop the attacks. On November 1, he instructed the Department of War to prepare for possible action, declaring that any U.S. strike would be “fast, vicious, and sweet.”
President Tinubu rejected the allegations, calling them a misrepresentation of Nigeria’s religious situation. In a statement on his official X account, he reaffirmed Nigeria’s constitutional guarantee of religious freedom and insisted that the country does not endorse persecution.
The redesignation comes amid ongoing violence against Christian communities in Nigeria, including killings, kidnappings, and church burnings. Trump’s move has reignited debate in Washington, where a bill sponsored by Senator Ted Cruz is currently under Senate consideration.
Nigeria was first labeled a CPC by Trump in 2020, but the designation was lifted by President Joe Biden after he assumed office.
