The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) recently convened a hearing to discuss the status of religious freedom in Nigeria, which I attended on behalf of the McCain Institute.
USCIRF recommended Nigeria be designated as a country of particular concern (CPC) in its 2025 Annual Report. Non-state actors including Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province continue to inflict religious-based violence across the country, with minimal effort from the government to prevent the targeted acts of religious persecution. Witnesses recommended the utilization of targeted sanctions and other financial tools that CPC designation allows for, as well as greater support for grassroots efforts independent of the CPC designation toolkit.
In the hearing, witnesses noted the slow response time from the Nigerian state police to address calls about active or future acts of violence. In some cases, even when communities were able to organize community-wide conflict warnings based on perceived threats, the federal police failed to respond in time to prevent abductions and other violence. The violent perpetrators often act without punishment, deliberately targeting vulnerable communities that lack support from within the Nigerian government. Some local religious leaders attribute this failure to a need to present an image of control over the situation to continue their access to Western development aid. Others have noted that because foreign aid is not being conditioned on preventing this violence, the Nigerian government does not face the pressure needed to incentivize it to take the necessary action.
Christian Nigerians face the brunt of these violent attacks, such as the burning of villages and destruction of churches, for violating blasphemy laws according to sharia law. Non-violent means are also used to eliminate Christian identity, such as the exclusion of Christians from some positions of political power and informal taxations on entire villages. Displaced Christians often live in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps known for their atrocious living conditions and lack of educational opportunities for children. Many members of the camps need post-traumatic care after suffering from abduction, torture, sexual violence, loss of family members, and loss of homes, farms, and livelihoods, including children. While some schooling is available for children in these camps, it is extremely difficult to find qualified teachers who are willing to enter the camps to teach.
The perpetrators of this violence are often tied to extremist Muslim clerics who have developed followings that allow them to mobilize support for political actors. Muslims who reject this extremism also are subjected to persecution, including in some cases as retribution for partnering with Christian communities on violence prevention efforts.
To prevent violence against all religious peoples, constructive engagement is needed to encourage government reform to promote accountability and transparency in political and religious leadership. A key step will be to ensure a community-led process, where solutions can be tailored to each local community. Military-only operations to prevent targeted violence led by the Nigerian government have shown mixed results, with some helping to dismantle violent insurgent networks, and reintegration programs helping to repatriate soldiers into civilian life. However, military operations often conflict with local initiatives, resulting in civilian casualties while community-led efforts promoting peaceful coexistence lack support from the federal government. The local faith-intermediation groups face further challenges from lack of training, inadequate funding, and interference from those who profit from the conflict.
The United States must remain present in the fight to preserve international religious freedom, as China aims to expand its presence in strategic states where the United States fails to defend its core values. Nigeria is critical for stability across Africa, and it is a key strategic point for counter-terrorism operations in the region. Protecting religious liberty plays a vital role in creating a flourishing society and making it resilient against violent extremist radicalization. U.S. foreign assistance should be redesigned and tied to measurable progress on inclusion, protection of minority rights, and support for grassroots efforts to build trust and resilience. Collaboration with the Nigerian government is key, but there must also be impartiality in the implementation of foreign aid by using locally coordinated groups on the ground in the violent-ridden areas.
Stopping the on-going violence and preventing further destabilization in Nigeria will require inclusivity and representation of all local voices, which must include women, children, and elders alongside that of men. Foreign supporters can best aid local initiatives by providing adequate funding for professional training for mediators and response forces and monitoring the outcomes in line with pre-determined metrics.