The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom has called on the US Department of State to redesignate Nigeria and 12 other nations as Countries of Particular Concern (CPCs).
It cited what it described as serious and systematic violations of religious freedom.
In its 2026 recommendations, released this month, the commission said the assessment was based on global religious freedom conditions observed throughout 2025.
The CPC label represents the United States’ most severe classification for governments accused of tolerating or enabling grave abuses linked to belief, including violence, persecution, imprisonment or restrictive laws.
According to the report on Saturday, the commission urged the State Department to redesignate the following 13 countries: Burma, China, Cuba, Eritrea, Iran, Nicaragua, Nigeria, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.
The commission also recommended redesignating six non-state actors as Entities of Particular Concern, naming al-Shabaab, Jama’atu Ahlis-Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad, Houthis, Islamic State, Sahel Province, Islamic State in West Africa Province and Jamaat Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin.
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While the USCIRF can make recommendations, it stressed that the final decision on CPC designations rests with the State Department.
In December 2020, during his first term, Donald Trump designated Nigeria a CPC, a move reversed by the administration of Joe Biden in November 2021.
The debate resurfaced last year when Trump criticised Abuja in a post on Truth Social, alleging widespread killings of Christians and attributing attacks to “radical Islamists.”
His remarks drew support from some US lawmakers, including Riley Moore, who described the situation as “systematic persecution,” and Senator Ted Cruz, who accused Nigerian officials of ignoring or facilitating violence.
Under the US International Religious Freedom Act, a CPC designation can trigger measures ranging from targeted sanctions and restrictions on foreign assistance to diplomatic actions.
The State Department last announced CPC designations in December 2023, listing 12 countries.
In its 2024 annual report, the USCIRF had urged an expansion to include additional states, among them Nigeria.
No new designations have been announced since the 2023 decision.