A lawmaker representing West Virginia’s Second District in the United States House of Congress, Riley Moore, has written to President Donald Trump, calling on White House to designate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) over what he described as the “systematic persecution and slaughter of Christians”.

Paul Ibe, Media Aide to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, yesterday, accused President Bola Tinubu of alluding to a Christian genocide in Nigeria in 2014.

Ibe said U.S. Senator, Ted Cruz, might have adopted Tinubu’s claims on the alleged killing of Christians in Nigeria.

He recalled a post on Tinubu’s X page in 2014 which reads: “The slaughtering of Christian worshippers is strongly condemnable. It calls to question the competence of Jonathan to protect Nigerians.”

Ibe posted on X: “For the records, Tinubu had in 2014 alluded to a Christian genocide in Nigeria. Perhaps, Cruz simply adopted Tinubu’s memo when he (Cruz) claimed without adducing any shred of evidence that there’s a Christian genocide in Nigeria.”

Meanwhile, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has dismissed recent claims of a Christian genocide in Nigeria, describing them as exaggerated narratives promoted by foreign actors.

The controversy arose after U.S. comedian, Bill Maher, alleged that Christians were being systematically killed in Nigeria.

Maher alleged that Islamists had burnt down churches and were attempting to wipe out the Christian population of an entire country.

In the letter, dated October 6, 2025, addressed to the U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, the Congressman urged the State Department to take swift diplomatic action against Nigeria and suspend arms sales until the Nigerian government demonstrates a genuine commitment to ending religiously-motivated violence.

Moore wrote: “I write to urge you to take immediate action to address the systematic persecution and slaughter of Christians in Nigeria. As a Christian nation founded upon Biblical principles, the U.S. bears a unique obligation to stand for the freedom and protection of Christians worldwide. Nigeria has become the deadliest place in the world to be a Christian, and the U.S. cannot stand idly by.

“I urge you 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.”

He cited figures from Open Doors and other humanitarian reports, noting that over 7,000 Christians had been killed in Nigeria in 2025 alone, averaging 35 murders per day.

Special Adviser to Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, also refuted allegations by Moore, who claimed that Nigerian officials were turning a blind eye to, or even aiding, the mass killing of Christians by Islamist militants. (The Guardian)