U.S. lawmaker Riley M. Moore has urged Secretary of State Marco Rubio to take decisive diplomatic action against the Nigerian government over what he described as the systematic persecution and slaughter of Christians across the country.
In a letter dated October 6, 2025, Moore told Rubio, who currently serves as U.S. Secretary of State, that Nigeria has become the deadliest place in the world to be a Christian. He called on the United States to use all diplomatic tools available, including halting arms sales to Nigeria and redesignating the country as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) under the U.S. International Religious Freedom Act.
Moore emphasized that, as a Christian nation founded on biblical principles, the United States has a moral duty to defend the freedom and protection of Christians worldwide. He warned that the U.S. cannot stand idly by while Christians are targeted and killed in Nigeria.
Citing chilling statistics, the Congressman claimed that more than 7,000 Christians have been killed in Nigeria in 2025 alone, by an average of 35 murders every day. He added that at least 19,100 churches have been attacked or destroyed since 2009, while over 15 million Nigerians have been displaced by extremist violence.
Moore described the killings as horrific and referenced incidents such as the massacre of 50 Christians on Palm Sunday and another 200 killed in June. He noted that data from Open Doors indicates more Christians are killed annually in Nigeria than in the rest of the world combined, and that these attacks have persisted for years without signs of ending.
He accused the Nigerian government of doing little to protect its Christian population and even suggested possible complicity in some of the attacks. Moore alleged that regional governments in northern Nigeria support extremist ideologies, enforce anti-Christian policies, and have shut down Christian orphanages while reeducating Christian children in Islamic schools.
According to his letter, at least 250 Catholic clergy and another 350 from other denominations have been attacked since 2015. Moore recounted the case of a priest kidnapped and murdered on Ash Wednesday in north-central Nigeria and said that between 2009 and 2025, more than 19,100 churches have been attacked—an average of three per day.
He claimed that at least 850 Christians are currently held for ransom in jihadist camps under extreme conditions, where many are tortured or killed if payment is not made. He further linked the violence to terrorist groups such as Boko Haram, ISIS-West Africa, and Ansaru, describing them as major perpetrators of religious killings and kidnappings.
Just last week, Moore wrote, Boko Haram attacked Kirawa, Nigeria, displacing thousands of residents. Equally troubling, he said, are reports that corrupt elements within the Nigerian government may be complicit, or even directly involved in some of these assaults.
The lawmaker criticized the Nigerian government's repeated portrayal of the crisis as a general terrorism issue, arguing instead that Christians are clearly the primary targets of religious persecution and violence, which are largely driven by extremist Muslim groups.
Moore also drew attention to previous U.S. policy actions, reminding Rubio that Nigeria had been designated a Country of Particular Concern by former President Donald Trump in 2020, a decision reversed by President Joe Biden upon taking office. He noted that Rubio himself, while serving in the Senate, had urged the Biden administration to restore Nigeria's CPC designation, citing recommendations from the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.
Moore concluded his letter by calling for immediate action from the State Department, including a full arms embargo on Nigeria until its government demonstrates a genuine commitment to ending the persecution and killing of Christians. He insisted that the moment demands strong and urgent action, urging Rubio to redesignate Nigeria as a CPC without delay and withhold all arms sales and technical support until tangible progress is made to protect Christian communities.
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