Witnesses appearing before the United States Congress Foreign Affairs Committee have cautioned that Nigeria is at risk of descending into widespread Christian–Muslim violence, identifying the country as a major flashpoint in an escalating global crisis of religious freedom.

The warning is contained in written testimonies released ahead of the joint hearing of the committee, which is holding on Wednesday (today), with witnesses citing recurring killings, displacement and insecurity as indicators of an emerging broader religious conflict in Nigeria.

The hearing will be jointly convened by the House Subcommittee on Africa and the Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere to assess what US lawmakers describe as mounting threats to religious freedom worldwide. It is titled, ‘Defending Religious Freedom Around the World.’

Written testimonies by key witnesses were released on the committee’s website ahead of the session and are expected to be delivered when the hearing convenes.

Among those scheduled to testify are the former US Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, Sam Brownback; Principal Advisor for Global Religious Freedom at the US State Department, Mark Walker; Grace Drexel, daughter of detained Chinese pastor Ezra Jin; and Dr Stephen Schneck, former chair of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom.

In his prepared testimony, Brownback said, “Radical, militant Islam continues its purification efforts throughout the MENA region and beyond.

“Syria and Nigeria are key focus areas of opportunity for them in their quest for dominance, excluding all other faiths, even others within Islam.

“The people of faith being targeted by this persecution are America’s greatest allies in the spread of freedom around the world. We should see and treat them as such,” he stated.

The ex-envoy identified religious freedom as a central fault line in global politics, warning that authoritarian and totalitarian regimes increasingly view faith communities as threats to state control.

“Religious freedom is now one of our primary weapons against the dark alliance gathered against us,” Brownback said in his prepared testimony.

Brownback singled out Nigeria as a major global flashpoint, describing the country as “the deadliest place on the planet to be a Christian.”

He warned that patterns of violence across the country suggest a deepening religious crisis with implications beyond Nigeria’s borders.

“Early warning signs of a Muslim-on-Christian war are brewing across Africa,” he wrote, adding that Nigeria sits at the centre of that danger.

The ex-ambassador also raised concerns about foreign involvement in Nigeria’s security landscape, stating that support from countries such as “China, Russia, Turkey and Saudi Arabia” could worsen instability if not carefully scrutinised.

Brownback cautioned that failure to act decisively could allow the violence to escalate into mass atrocities similar to those seen in Iraq.

In his own prepared testimony, Schneck described freedom of religion or belief as being in a “historic crisis” worldwide, driven by rising authoritarianism, religious nationalism and state failure.

“Freedom of religion or belief is in crisis in the contemporary world. Whether measured structurally in culture, institutions and laws, or in the sheer number of incidents, persecution is increasing across the globe,” Schneck wrote in his private capacity and not on behalf of the commission.

The ex-USIRF chair identified Nigeria, Syria and Sudan as countries where weak governance and widespread insecurity have created dangerous conditions for religious communities.

“Nigeria, Syria, and Sudan are current examples of such conditions threatening freedom of religion or belief.

“Both Nigeria and Syria are experiencing high levels of societal insecurity and their respective governments have been unable to halt widespread violence against communities of faith.

“Both have what were previously designated as Entities of Particular Concern operating within their borders,” he wrote.

According to the ex-USIRF chairman, such environments allow armed groups, insurgents and criminal networks to exploit religious identity, leading to killings, displacement and long-term instability.

He also criticised the US government’s performance under the International Religious Freedom Act, the 1998 law guiding US policy in this area, arguing that Washington has failed to match its rhetoric with sustained action.

“If we are to take the International Religious Freedom Act as our measure, then the United States is not doing enough.

“We have been long on rhetoric and short on substance, consistency and effectiveness,” the ex-USIRF chairman said.

Schneck expressed particular concern about delays in the release of the US State Department’s International Religious Freedom reports and the absence of updated designations of Countries of Particular Concern.

“The State Department has still not made its designations of Countries of Particular Concern, Special Watch List, or Entities of Particular Concern. President Biden’s 2023 designations were to have lapsed at the end of 2025.

“Apparently, Nigeria, thanks to its unique designation by President Trump, is the only country in the world currently designated as a Country of Particular Concern and there are no designated Special Watch List countries or Entities of Particular Concern. This is very concerning at a time when countries like China and Iran are engaged in ever more repressive actions against people of faith,” he noted.

He further warned against narrowing religious freedom advocacy to the persecution of Christians alone, stressing that international law protects all faiths and beliefs.

“International religious freedom, as defined in human rights law, is universal,” Schneck stated. “Selective advocacy undermines both effectiveness and legitimacy.”

The ex-USIRF chairman added, “The administration has relied on high-profile events (such as a one-off Tomahawk strike on Nigeria) and social media declarations rather than sustained, country-specific strategies.

“Religious freedom violations are deeply embedded in legal systems, security practices, and social norms; addressing them requires long-term engagement, multilateral coordination, and careful diplomacy. Early efforts seem to have prioritised visibility over durability.”

Last year, US President Donald Trump redesignated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern over alleged religious freedom violations, a move accompanied by threats of possible US military intervention.

The US government subsequently attacked terrorist hideouts in Sokoto on Christams day.

However, the Federal Government dismissed claims of systemic Christian persecution, maintaining that insecurity affects citizens of all religious backgrounds.

On November 20, 2025, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth hosted National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu at the Pentagon for discussions on coordinated strategies to address the crisis.

In December, Ribadu announced that he had hosted a US congressional delegation in Abuja as part of ongoing security consultations between the two countries.

According to the NSA, discussions during the meeting focused on “counter-terrorism cooperation, regional stability,” and ways to “strengthen the strategic security partnership between Nigeria and the United States.”

Last month, there was a plenary session of the Nigeria–US Joint Working Group on Nigeria’s designation as a CPC. (The PUNCH, but headline rejigged)

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