Three weeks after US President Donald Trump redesignated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) and threatened to go into the country ?guns-a-blazing? over what he described as a Christian genocide, Nigeria is witnessing a chilling escalation of violence that cuts across states, religions, and communities.

Rather than deter terrorists, the rhetoric appears to have coincided with, and in the eyes of some experts, inflamed, a surge in attacks from terror groups, bandits, and armed militias who continue to operate with deadly efficiency across the country?s northern region.

A violent week In Nigeria

The past week alone underlined the deepening insecurity. In Borno State, a military convoy led by Brigade Commander M. Uba was ambushed by Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters along the Damboa?Biu axis. Uba was captured and later executed, an attack that shocked security circles given its boldness and the seniority of the victim.

Two days later in Kebbi State, terrorists stormed Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga around 4am, abducting 25 schoolgirls and killing the school security chief.

On Tuesday, gunmen attacked a church in Eruku, Kwara State, kidnapping dozens of worshippers. By Friday, a Catholic school in Niger State was also hit, with several students taken.

For a country already fatigued by a decade of insurgencies, these attacks underscore the widening reach of violent groups operating with little regard for borderlines or official threats, whether foreign or domestic.

Diplomatic heat rises as Nigeria faces its bloodiest week in months

Amid the violence, the Nigerian government deepened diplomatic engagement with US authorities, desperate to counter the mounting narrative in Washington that Nigeria is experiencing a Christian genocide.

On Wednesday, US Congressman Riley Moore, one of the most vocal proponents of the genocide claim, met with a Nigerian delegation led by Nuhu Ribadu, the national security adviser, in Washington.

Moore described the meeting as a ?frank, honest, and productive discussion? focusing on alleged persecution of Christians and enduring terrorist threats. Nigeria, he said, raised concerns about security assistance and protection of vulnerable communities.

Ribadu on Friday also met with Pete Hegseth, the US Secretary of War. Hegseth in a post on X said the Trump?s administration is working aggressively with Nigeria to end the persecution of Christians in the country.

The CPC designation, reinstated by Trump, has resurrected a fierce debate in the US Congress, one where hardline religious freedom advocates clash with diplomats, analysts, and lawmakers who warn that oversimplifying Nigeria?s conflict could worsen the violence.

Violence affects everyone ? US Rep. Sara Jacobs

The divide sharpened on Thursday during a heated U.S. congressional hearing.

Rep. Sara Jacobs, a former adviser on US counter-Boko Haram strategy, pushed back against attempts to cast Nigeria?s crisis as solely a Christian persecution.

?There is very real conflict and violence that we need to address? The violence impacting both Christian and Muslim communities is real,? she said.

Referring to recent attacks, she added: ?The victims in the Kebbi State kidnapping were all Muslim girls. So, violence affects everyone.?

Jacobs warned that ?false narratives perpetuate harmful stereotypes? and condemned Trump?s threats of military intervention.

?President Trump?s threat is reckless. Any unilateral military action in Nigeria would be illegal,? she said.

State Department disagrees: ?Christians are being attacked because of their faith?

But within the same hearing, the State Department held a firmer line. Jacob McGee, deputy assistant secretary in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, insisted that faith-based attacks, particularly in the Middle Belt, were real and well documented.

?These attacks directly target Christian populations? attackers used religious language and specifically targeted Christians for killing, abduction, and rape.? He cited the 2022 murder of Deborah Samuel as evidence of systemic religious freedom violations.

Simplistic narratives? overshadow Nigeria?s real drivers of violence ? Jayapal

Rep. Pramila Jayapal issued one of the strongest rebuttals to the genocide narrative.

?The killings in Nigeria aren?t just the persecution of Christians. It is the persecution of multiple groups? that would be simplistic,? she argued.

Her argument reflects the view shared by conflict researchers: Nigeria?s violence is a tangled web of banditry, farmer?herder tensions, resource clashes, religious extremism, and weak state response, not one dominated by a single motive.

Tinubu?s government is not doing enough ? Huizenga

Congressman Bill Huizenga accused the Nigerian government of failing in its duties. ?Tinubu?s government is sitting back, not doing enough,? the US lawmaker said, fighting back tears.

Huizenga, who supports the CPC redesignation, insisted Christian communities remain vulnerable and urged stronger US action.

Back CPC designation with real action ? Catholic Bishop tells Trump

While giving his testimony at the US Congress on Thursday, Catholic Bishop of Makurdi Diocese, Wilfred Anagbe, urged President Donald Trump to back the rede?ignation of Nigeria as CPC with concrete action.

?On behalf of millions of Christians in Nigeria and in the diaspora, we want to thank President Donald Trump for his bold leadership in designating Nigeria as a CPC. I commend you and this subcommittee for ongoing efforts on this matter.

?It is a vital step, but must be backed by serious action. One, use the Magnitsky Act for targeted sanctions against Nigerian government officials and others tolerating or condoning Islamic violence in the country,? Anagbe said.

Trump?s military action will endanger Christians ? Oge Onubogu

Oge Onubogu, senior fellow and director, Africa Program, Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), warned the US against military action in Nigeria, saying that it could endanger Christians it aims to protect.

?If the Trump administration proceeds with unilateral military action in Nigeria, it could endanger the Christians it aims to protect and worsen divisions along religious lines,? Onubogu said at the US Congress on Thursday.

?A narrow narrative that reduces Nigeria?s security situation to a single story and frames it solely as the persecution of Christians, oversimplifies the situation,? she added.

The Nigerian government has repeatedly rejected claims of religious persecution, arguing that the conflict is driven by criminality, resource struggles, and opportunistic armed groups. But the US resolution, now gaining momentum in Washington, places new diplomatic pressure on President Bola Tinubu?s administration to show measurable progress in curbing attacks and protecting vulnerable communities.

Analysts further caution that growing US criticism may jeopardise the Tinubu administration?s broad economic reforms, initiated in 2023 and now beginning to yield visible gains. (BusinessDay)

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