The Member representing West Virginia's 2nd District in the United States Congress, Riley Moore, has written a letter to the United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, urging him to take immediate action to address the systematic persecution and slaughter of Christians in Nigeria.

He lamented that Nigeria has become the deadliest place in the world to be a Christian, urging the United States not to stand idly by.

He called on Rubio to use all diplomatic tools available, including designating Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) and halting arms sales and all associated technical support until the Nigerian government demonstrates it is sufficiently committed to ending this reign of persecution and slaughter.

"The sheer number of Christians who suffer persecution daily for their faith, including the staggering number who have been murdered for proclaiming Jesus Christ as their savior is horrific. More than 7,000 Christians have been killed in Nigeria in 2025 already, an average of 35 murders per day. That includes at least 50 Christians brutally martyred on Palm Sunday and another 200 killed in June. This is consistent with reports from Open Doors that more Christians are killed every year in Nigeria than the rest of the world combined. These relentless persecutions have continued for years and show no signs of abating," Moore said.

"Since 2015, at least 250 Catholic clergy have been attacked in addition to another 350 clergy from other denominations. On Ash Wednesday this year, a priest in north-central Nigeria was kidnapped and brutally murdered. Between the Boko Haram uprising in July 2009 and September 2025, 19,100 Christian churches in Nigeria have been attacked or destroyed, representing an average of 1,200 churches per year, 100 per month, or more than three per day. In addition, at least 850 Christians are currently being held for ransom in jihadist camps in extreme conditions. These individuals are tortured or killed if ransom isn't paid. Reports estimate at least 15 million people have been displaced by the rampant acts of violence and terror in Nigeria. Simply put, this must end.

"Muslim extremist groups such as ISIS-West Africa, Ansaru, and Boko Haram are major perpetrators. Just last week, Boko Haram ravaged Kirawa, Nigeria, displacing thousands. But just as concerning are reports that corrupt cells of the Nigerian government may be complicit, and even directly involved, in some of these attacks. In Northern states such as Kano, regional governments have backed and facilitated the closing of Christian orphanages and forced the children to be reeducated as Muslims. The Nigerian federal government also maintains and enforces anti-blasphemy laws, and several states within Nigeria have even harsher anti-blasphemy laws than the federal government. This includes sentencing an individual to 24 years in prison for 'insulting the Prophet Mohammed.'

Moore lamented that the Nigerian government has sought to downplay the genocide of Christians, arguing that Nigeria has a broader issue with terrorism that affects people of all faiths.

He, however, pointed out that while Nigerians of all faiths face terrorism and death at the hands of extremists, Christians are far and away the most targeted for persecution and violence.

"Additionally, this violence stems almost exclusively from Muslim groups and are explicitly anti-Christian. The attempt to diminish these facts do not speak well of the Nigerian government, nor does the prevalence of corruption that is complicit with terrorist acts. Nigeria is the headquarters of no less than 22 Islamic terror groups with links to ISIS and other broader networks. We cannot ignore the religious nature of this scourge of anti-Christian violence.

"President Trump designated Nigeria as a CPC during his first administration. President Biden decided to undo the designation when he took office. As Senator, you sent a letter with several of your colleagues to then-Secretary Blinken urging him to redesignate Nigeria as a CPC. In that letter, you wrote, in accordance with the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom's recommendation, 'it is incumbent upon you to reverse last year's decision and redesignate the country as a CPC. The moment demands that you do so without delay.'

"I agree with your assessment that the moment demands that the administration take strong action without delay, and the situation has only grown more dire. As such, I urge you to redesignate Nigeria as a CPC without delay and withhold arms sales and all associated technical support until the Nigerian government has taken tangible steps to protect our brothers and sisters in Christ. Thank you for your attention to this request," he said.


ASA