Nigeria: “terrifying crisis of religious violence,” independent report says

- Kate Scanlon, OSV News

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), an independent, bipartisan body of the U.S. federal government that monitors religious freedom around the world, released its report at an event at the Capitol Complex. A major finding is that Nigeria faces “a terrifying crisis of religious violence.”.

Vicky Hartzler, President of the USCIRF and a former Republican member of the House of Representatives from Missouri, said in her remarks at the event that the people of Nigeria “continue to face violations of religious freedom and suffers a deeply tragic and ongoing crisis of violence” at the hands of “non-state militants who advocate a violent interpretation of Islam.”.

“The Nigerian government has been negligent for too long in seriously and directly addressing the violence and its complex underlying factors,” he said.

‘Country of special concern’.’

The Trump administration recently designated Nigeria as a «country of special concern,» a State Department designation for nations or entities that commit systematic violations of religious freedom. The U.S. also carried out a deadly attack in Nigeria on Dec. 25, which President Trump called an attempt to target Islamic State group terrorists persecuting Christians in that country.

Among the cases of violence in Nigeria cited in the report, it said that “in September, Father Matthew Eya of St. Charles Catholic Church in Enugu State, southern Nigeria, was returning home from his pastoral duties when unidentified gunmen pulled up on a motorcycle, shot out his tires and then executed him on the spot in his vehicle.”.

Against Christian and Muslim communities

Violence against Christians in Nigeria has intensified in recent years at the hands of Islamic extremist groups such as Boko Haram. However, Muslim communities have also been severely affected by the violence. Disputes between farmers and herders have also led to violence and displacement.

The report also states that Christians across Central Africa “have become increasingly vulnerable to targeted attacks by non-state actors.”. 

Nigeria was among the countries that USCIRF recommended for designation as Countries of Particular Concern (CPC), which also included Afghanistan, Burma, China, Cuba, Eritrea, India, Iran, Libya, Nicaragua, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Vietnam.

Serious violations of religious freedom

The State Department designates CPCs for particularly serious violations of freedom of religion or belief under the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA). The IRFA requires the U.S. government to annually designate CPCs, which are defined in law and policy as countries where governments commit or tolerate “particularly serious violations” of religious freedom. 

Non-state actors that engage in similar conduct are designated as «entities of special concern.» The State Department also has a “Special Watch List” for serious violations of religious freedom that do not meet the criteria for CPC designation.

California Senator: freedom of religion, key importance

Rep. Brad Sherman, D-California, stated at the event that “there is nothing more important to American values than freedom of religion. It's in the First Amendment for a reason, and we need a foreign policy that reflects our values as a nation.”. 

“This commission, which sheds light on oppressed religious groups around the world, has contributed greatly to elevating our foreign policy discourse,” he said. “I commend the commission for presenting this report to us. It will be the subject of deep and thorough debate.”.

The impact of USAID cuts

The report also pointed to cuts to programs aimed at promoting religious freedom through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the government's now-closed humanitarian aid agency in countries around the world, as one of the causes affecting programs that provided humanitarian assistance to persecuted religious communities.

“USCIRF received information that a significant portion of the programs that used funds appropriated by Congress to promote IRF were cancelled,” the report states. 

“This included projects to combat blasphemy laws and other legal restrictions on freedom of religion or belief, establish early warning systems to protect religious minorities, promote interfaith dialogue, and document violations of the IRF, including crimes against humanity and genocide. Emergency assistance for religious freedom activists in Burma and Afghanistan was also cancelled, as was a USAID flagship program that had supported 4,000 members of religious minorities facing discrimination and persecution.”. 

Effects of funding cuts in Nigeria

Citing the organization's concerns about Nigeria, the report added: “As an example of how such cancellations could affect conditions of religious freedom, one source argued that ending a USAID program that supported early warning systems in Nigeria's Middle Belt could leave communities without support to prevent violence, creating vulnerability for future attacks against Christians.”.

However, the report noted that some of the commissioners took issue with that section and argued that “comments” on “an administration's decisions regarding the redirection of funds, especially as they relate to NGO funding, are, as we understand it, beyond the scope of USCIRF and our vocation.”.

Among other recommendations to Congress and the Trump administration, the report also called for a reduction in barriers for those fleeing religious persecution abroad to resettle as refugees in the United States, which Stephen Schneck, commissioner of USCIRF, noted in his remarks at the event.

Increased anti-Semitism and anti-Muslim bias

“Admittedly, there were areas in 2025 where the administration's approach to international religious freedom fell short, such as protecting those beings in some of the world's most extreme environments for religious persecution,” Schneck said.

In comments at the event, Asif Mahmood, vice president of USCIRF, also noted a “widespread rise in anti-Semitism and anti-Muslim bias” in parts of the world, as well as violations of religious freedom in areas facing conflict or political turmoil, among other major areas of concern for USCIRF.

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Kate Scanlon is a national reporter for OSV News covering Washington. You can follow her at @kgscanlon.

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