The United States chapter of the All Progressives Congress has requested to testify today (Thursday) before the United States House Subcommittee on Africa as American lawmakers prepare to review former President Donald Trump’s redesignation of Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” over alleged religious persecution.
In a letter forwarded to the Subcommittee Chairman, Chris Smith, the APC USA said it was prepared to lead a high-level delegation to provide what it described as firsthand intelligence and verifiable data on Nigeria’s security landscape.
The APC USA Chairman, Prof Tai Balofin, disclosed this in a statement added available to journalists in Abuja.
Balofin said that while the party supports religious freedom for all Nigerians, global discourse on the matter often fails to reflect the full complexity of the nation’s insecurity challenges.
He said the delegation was ready to appear before Congress at short notice.
“The narrative that is sometimes presented abroad risks oversimplifying a complex security crisis driven by banditry, resource conflicts, climate stress, and transnational crime, not solely by religious persecution. We owe it to the American people and to millions of Nigerians to ensure Congress hears the complete picture before conclusions are drawn.”
Balofin said the group’s planned testimony would highlight what it considers notable security gains under President Bola Tinubu.
He added, “These include progress in degrading terrorist networks, improvements in community-based early-warning systems, and initiatives that promote interfaith harmony. Recent reductions in attacks across several hotspots have been documented by both Nigerian authorities and independent international monitors.”
The APC USA also plans to present proposals for stronger U.S.–Nigeria cooperation on security, intelligence sharing and humanitarian support, arguing that such collaboration is vital for protecting all religious groups without undermining diplomatic relations.
He said, “Chairman Chris Smith has been a consistent champion for human rights and religious liberty worldwide. We respectfully ask him to grant APC USA—the official voice of Nigeria’s democratically elected government in the United States—the opportunity to contribute to a fair, accurate, and solution-oriented discussion.”
The development comes hours after Nigeria faulted the United States for excluding it from a UN event hosted by American rapper Nicki Minaj on alleged killings of Nigerians from a particular faith group.
Nigeria’s chargé d’affaires to the UN, Syndoph Endoni, condemned the exclusion, saying deciding Nigeria’s case without Nigerian representation amounted to “shaving our head in our absence.”
The event, held at the UN headquarters in New York with the backing of the U.S. Mission, was organised amid renewed U.S. allegations of Christian persecution in Nigeria — accusations Nigeria has repeatedly denied.
Endoni said, “It is important to ensure the country concerned in the ongoing allegations of genocide against Christians is present, aware and has a voice in the matter. This is because you should not make important decisions or take action on something that involves a country without their presence or consent.”
He expressed disappointment that while a few countries and even a Nigerian pastor were invited, officials of the Nigerian government were deliberately left out.
According to him, U.S. officials later explained that the event was “private” and that the organisers demanded no Nigerian government representatives be invited due to fears of “reprisals” against participants.
Endoni warned that such unilateral actions could escalate tensions, adding that both countries could more effectively address insecurity by working together and ensuring inclusive engagement.
The Nigerian envoy said Abuja would continue to engage Washington over killings by extremist groups and collaborate on efforts to protect lives and property nationwide.
The PUNCH had earlier reported that the US House of Representatives Subcommittee on Africa will on Thursday, November 20, 2025, examine President Donald Trump’s recent redesignation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern.
The CPC designation, if ratified by the Senate, would allow the US to impose sanctions on Nigerian officials found complicit in religious persecution and limit certain forms of bilateral assistance.
A nation in need of decisive leadership
It also signals to the international community that religious freedom in Nigeria remains under serious threat.
The hearing, scheduled for 11:00 am in Room 2172 of the Rayburn House Office Building and available via live webcast, will be chaired by Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ).
It will feature two panels of witnesses, including senior US State Department officials and Nigerian religious leaders.
The invite to the members of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, sighted by
The PUNCH, read, “You are respectfully requested to attend an open hearing of the Committee on Foreign Affairs to be held by the Subcommittee on Africa at 11:00 a.m. in Room 2172 of the Rayburn House Office Building.”
According to the invite, panelists will include Senior Bureau Official of the Bureau of African Affairs, Jonathan Pratt, and Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, Jacob McGee.
The second panel will feature the Director of the Center for Religious Freedom, Ms Nina Shea; Bishop Wilfred Anagbe of Makurdi Catholic Diocese in Nigeria; and Ms Oge Onubogu of the Center for Strategic & International Studies.
The congressional hearing is expected to review not only the scope of religious persecution in Nigeria but also potential policy responses, including targeted sanctions, humanitarian assistance, and collaboration with Nigerian authorities to prevent further violence.
On October 31, 2025, President Trump designated Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern for religious freedom violations. The move has sparked debate over rising attacks on Christians in Nigeria and the possibility of US intervention.
In designating Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern,” Trump cited alleged severe violations of religious freedom, particularly the persecution of Christians.
He claimed that Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria, with thousands of Christians being killed by radical Islamists.
Trump warned that the US would take action, including potential military intervention, if Nigeria did not address the issue.
The US President also threatened to halt all aid and assistance to Nigeria should President Bola Tinubu’s administration fail to end the alleged persecution and killing of Christians.
“If the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the USA will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria, and may very well go into that now-disgraced country, ‘guns-a-blazing,’ to completely wipe out the Islamic terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities.
“I am hereby instructing our Department of War to prepare for possible action. If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our cherished Christians,” he said on November 1, 2025.
President Bola Tinubu, however, described the claim as a misrepresentation of Nigeria’s religious reality.
Reacting through a statement on his official X handle, Tinubu said the claim failed to reflect the country’s constitutional commitment to religious liberty.
Nigeria stands firmly as a democracy governed by constitutional guarantees of religious liberty. The characterisation of Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our national reality.
“Religious freedom and tolerance have been a core tenet of our collective identity and shall always remain so. Nigeria opposes religious persecution and does not encourage it,” the President said.
