?Urges international community to maintain pressure on the Nigerian government

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has commended United States President Donald Trump for declaring Nigeria a ?Country of Particular Concern? (CPC) following widespread reports of Christian persecution and mass killings across several states in northern and Middle Belt Nigeria.

In a statement released in Abuja on Saturday by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, HURIWA described the U.S. designation as a ?timely and courageous intervention? that validates years of human rights advocacy highlighting the targeted slaughter of Christians by jihadist elements. The association said Trump?s decision marks a moral turning point in the global recognition of the religious persecution being endured by millions of Nigerian Christians.

?Trump?s declaration has vindicated our consistent warnings that the killings in Plateau, Benue, Kaduna, Taraba, Niger, Zamfara, and parts of Borno are not random acts of banditry but carefully coordinated genocidal campaigns targeting Christians,? HURIWA said. ?For too long, the Nigerian government has hidden under the excuse of ?farmer-herder clashes? to downplay the atrocities.?

Citing independent investigations by the International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law (Intersociety), HURIWA disclosed that between May 2023 and October 2025, over 7,000 Christians have been killed and more than 6,500 others abducted, including dozens of clergymen, pastors, and seminarians. The report also noted that at least 1,200 churches have been burnt or destroyed during the same period. The group said these figures are verifiable data compiled from church unions, local security reports, and eyewitness accounts, stressing that the Tinubu administration?s silence in the face of such carnage is morally indefensible.

The association recalled that Nigeria was first designated a CPC in 2020 under the Trump's first administration before being delisted by President Joe Biden in 2021. ?The decision to re-designate Nigeria reflects international acknowledgement that religious persecution has worsened since 2023,? it added.

Reacting to comments by Nigeria?s Minister of Information, Mohammed Idris, who dismissed claims of Christian genocide as ?faulty and misleading,? HURIWA described the statement as an insult to the memory of thousands of innocent victims. ?Denying the obvious when communities like Heipang, Barkin Ladi, Guma, and Kaura have been repeatedly attacked is the height of insensitivity,? Onwubiko stated. ?The government cannot continue to peddle false equivalence while Christian villages are wiped out in coordinated night assaults.?

HURIWA said Nigeria?s current political leadership has failed to reflect the nation?s religious diversity, noting that for the first time since independence, both the President and Vice President are Muslims. The association described this as a clear departure from the federal character principle enshrined in Section 14(3) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which mandates inclusiveness and fair representation. ?The composition of the presidency itself is a political and moral symbol. A Muslim-Muslim ticket at the apex of governance reinforces perceptions of systemic bias and deepens national division,? the group warned.

It therefore urged all political parties to respect the Federal Character Principle in selecting candidates for the 2027 general elections and going forward. The group insisted that no democratic nation with Nigeria?s pluralism should tolerate another Muslim-Muslim presidency, describing it as a dangerous precedent that marginalizes millions of Christians. ?It is not merely about religion; it is about fairness, balance, and national cohesion,? HURIWA said. ?Nigeria?s strength lies in its diversity, and our leadership structure must always reflect that reality.?

The association further urged Nigerians, especially political leaders, to actively protect Christian communities from extremist violence and called for the immediate prosecution of sponsors of terrorism and religious killings. ?Those who burn churches, kidnap priests, and massacre worshippers must not be shielded by politics or bureaucracy,? HURIWA warned. ?The world is watching, and history will not be kind to those who stood idle while an entire faith community was slaughtered.?

HURIWA also appealed to the international community to maintain pressure on the Nigerian government to uphold its human rights obligations and ensure that the CPC designation translates into concrete action to end religious persecution. ?Trump has done what conscience demands of every global leader; to speak out against injustice and stand with the oppressed,? the statement concluded. ?Now it is left for President Tinubu to act, not deny.?

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