US President Trump declares Nigeria 'country of particular concern' over Christian 'genocide' claims

US President Donald Trump said on Friday that Christianity faces an "existential threat" in Nigeria and he was adding the West African nation to a State Department watch list for countries of "particular concern."

In a post on Truth Social, Trump claimed thousands of Christians were being killed in Nigeria, citing a figure of 3,100 Christians killed there but without giving details on source of the information.

It is a repudiation of his advisor for Africa, Mossad Bullos, who recently rejected claims that a “genocide” against Christians was taking place in Nigeria.

“The United States can not stand by while such atrocities are happening in Nigeria, and numerous other countries,” Trump said in his post.

He directed US Congressman Riley Moore, together with House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole, to immediately investigate the matter and report back to him.

‘Inaccurate and harmful’

The Nigerian government has not yet reacted to Trump’s announcement.

However, officials of the West African country have recently rejected claims by a US senator that a genocide against Christians was taking place.

''While Nigeria, like many countries, has faced security challenges, including acts of terrorism perpetrated by criminals, couching the situation as a deliberate, systematic attack on Christians is inaccurate and harmful,” Nigeria's minister of information Mohammed Idris said at a press conference recently in the capital, Abuja.

“It oversimplifies a complex, multifaceted security environment and plays into the hands of terrorists and criminals who seek to divide Nigerians along religious or ethnic lines.”'

“The violent activities of terrorist groups are not confined to any particular religious or ethnic community,” Idris added.

“These criminals target all who reject their murderous ideology, regardless of faith. Muslims, Christians, and even those who do not identify with any religion have suffered at their hands.”

Deflect attention

“The Federal Government remains unwavering in its commitment to completely degrading terrorist groups and securing the lives and property of all citizens,” the minister added.

Some analysts say the narratives by some top US officials of alleged genocide against Christians in Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, could be a tactic to deflect attention from the ongoing US-backed Israel's genocidal war on Gaza, where more than 170,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023.

Nigeria's population is almost even between Christians and Muslims - with the Muslims mostly in the north and the Christians mainly in the south.

Both Christian and Islamic leaders have been calling for caution and calm on the so-called ''genocide'' rhetoric in the West African country.