Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, has urged the international community not to re-designate Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) over alleged religious persecution, warning that such a move could undermine ongoing efforts to foster peace and interfaith dialogue.
Recently, US lawmakers have increasingly called on President Donald Trump to impose sanctions on Nigeria as a CPC owing to claims of Christian genocide in Nigeria.
Ted Cruz, a US senator, had proposed a bill that seeks to protect “persecuted” Christians in Nigeria.
However, the federal government has repeatedly denied the claim.
Nigeria was first designated a CPC in 2020, during the last year of Trump’s first term as president. However, the Joe Biden administration later reversed the move in 2021.
A Country of Particular Concern (CPC) is a designation by the United States Secretary of State (under authority delegated by the President) of a country responsible for particularly severe violations of religious freedom under the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) of 1998.
Speaking at the launch of the Aid to the Church in Need (ACIN) 2025 World Report on Religious Freedom in the World held at the Augustinianum Hall, Vatican City, on October 21. Bishop Kukah acknowledged the country’s deep-seated challenges but insisted that Nigeria should be supported — not punished — as it works to overcome religious violence and national disunity.
Kukah said the ongoing initiatives to address the challenges and the alleged “persecution of Christians” would be undermined if Nigeria is redesignated as a CPC.
The Catholic bishop said Nigerians “feel vulnerable and unprotected irrespective of their faiths, ethnicity or social classes”.
He alleged that the administration of the late former President Muhammadu Buhari “marked the worst phase in the history of interfaith relations in Nigeria, especially relating to violence against Christians and their exclusion from power”.
Kukah added that the current administration of President Bola Tinubu has taken steps to inspire confidence in citizens, adding that the situation is far from perfect.
“I do believe that today, acts of impunity still persist, but it is my view that redesignating Nigeria a Country of Concern will hurt the initiatives we are working on with the current government to collectively resolve the nagging problems of, first, the persecution of Christians and, of course, the larger issues of ending the mindless killings of our citizens,” Kukah said.
“Designating my country, Nigeria, a Country of Concern will only make our work in the area of dialogue among religious leaders in our country and elsewhere with the Nigerian state even harder.
“It will only increase tensions, sow doubt, open windows of suspicion and fear and simply allow the criminals and perpetrators of violence to exploit.
