Washington — The House Subcommittee on Africa will convene a public hearing on Thursday, November 20, 2025 at 11 a.m. in Room 2172 of the Rayburn House Office Building. The session, which will be streamed live online, will be chaired by Rep. Chris Smith (R‑NJ), a longtime advocate for global religious liberty.
The hearing will feature two panels. The first panel will include senior U.S. Department of State officials: Jonathan Pratt, Senior Bureau Official for African Affairs, and Jacob McGee, Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. The second panel will bring together prominent voices from religious and policy circles: Nina Shea, Director of the Centre for Religious Freedom; Bishop Wilfred Anagbe of the Makurdi Catholic Diocese in Nigeria; and Oge Onubogu of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
The purpose of the hearing is to assess the scale of religious persecution in Nigeria and to explore possible U.S. responses, ranging from targeted sanctions and humanitarian assistance to increased cooperation with Nigerian authorities.
The scrutiny follows President Donald Trump’s decision on October 31, 2025 to return Nigeria to the Country of Particular Concern (CPC) list, a designation that opens the door to sweeping punitive measures against foreign officials implicated in religious repression. In a statement issued the following day, Trump alleged that Christians in Nigeria were facing an “existential threat,” claiming that thousands had been killed by Islamist extremists. “If the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the USA will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria,” Trump warned. “We may very well go into that country ‘guns‑a‑blazing’ to completely wipe out the terrorists committing these atrocities.” He also directed the U.S. “Department of War” to prepare for possible intervention, describing any strike as “fast, vicious, and sweet.”
President Bola Tinubu responded sharply, rejecting the portrayal of Nigeria as hostile to religious freedom. In a post on his X handle, Tinubu said the characterization “does not reflect our national reality,” insisting that Nigeria remains committed to constitutional protections of religious liberty. “Religious freedom and tolerance have been a core tenet of our collective identity,” he said, stressing that the administration opposes any form of persecution.
The CPC redesignation has reignited global attention on years of violent attacks against Christian communities in Nigeria, including killings by extremist groups, mass kidnappings and the destruction of churches in northern and central states. Senator Ted Cruz has introduced a companion bill in the Senate to solidify the designation.
Bishop Wilfred Anagbe, who will testify before the subcommittee, has been outspoken about insecurity in his diocese. Addressing UK parliamentarians in March 2025, he described sustained attacks on Christian communities in Benue State, where displaced families have fled to internally displaced persons camps after their villages were overrun by Islamist militants and armed herders.
Republican lawmakers have intensified pressure on the issue. Rep. Riley Moore (R‑WV) said in a Fox News interview that congressional committees are already reviewing the situation in Nigeria in coordination with the State Department and the White House. “What is going on there is horrific, these killings of brothers and sisters in Christ,” Moore said, echoing Trump’s stance. He added that religious persecution in Nigeria is “a serious and ongoing reality,” citing blasphemy laws and cases of individuals facing the death penalty. Moore claimed that Christians are being killed at a ratio of “five to one” compared with Muslims, based on information gathered from congressional investigations, and insisted that the United States has a responsibility to intervene: “We are a Christian nation and we stand up for the persecuted. The CPC designation unlocks different tools, sanctions, withholding development funds, restricting financing. And yes, military options remain on the table.”
The hearing will be the first formal congressional examination of the Trump administration’s redesignation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern and will set the stage for a broader debate over U.S. policy toward religious freedom violations abroad.
