Concerns over Nigeria’s worsening security situation and allegations of religiously motivated violence have returned to the spotlight in Washington as panels of the United States Congress convene a fresh hearing on global religious freedom, with Nigeria identified as a critical risk point.
The warnings are contained in written testimonies submitted ahead of the joint hearing of the US House Foreign Affairs Committee, holding on Wednesday, where witnesses cautioned that Nigeria could slide into large-scale Christian–Muslim violence if current trends persist. The submissions point to recurring killings, mass displacement and persistent insecurity as signs of a brewing religious conflict with regional implications.
The hearing, titled “Defending Religious Freedom Around the World,” is being jointly organised by the House Subcommittee on Africa and the Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, as lawmakers assess what they describe as escalating threats to religious freedom globally.
Written testimonies released on the committee’s website ahead of the session are expected to be formally presented when proceedings begin.
Among those scheduled to testify are former US Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, Sam Brownback; Principal Advisor for Global Religious Freedom at the US State Department, Mark Walker; Grace Drexel, daughter of detained Chinese pastor Ezra Jin; and Dr Stephen Schneck, former chairman of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USIRF).
In his prepared remarks, Brownback warned that extremist movements are intensifying their campaigns across several regions, identifying Nigeria as a central target.
“Radical, militant Islam continues its purification efforts throughout the MENA region and beyond,” he said. “Syria and Nigeria are key focus areas of opportunity for them in their quest for dominance, excluding all other faiths, even others within Islam.
“The people of faith being targeted by this persecution are America’s greatest allies in the spread of freedom around the world. We should see and treat them as such,” he stated.
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Brownback described religious freedom as a defining battleground in contemporary global politics, arguing that faith communities are increasingly perceived as threats by authoritarian regimes.
“Religious freedom is now one of our primary weapons against the dark alliance gathered against us,” he said.
He further described Nigeria as a global epicentre of concern, calling it “the deadliest place on the planet to be a Christian,” and warning that the pattern of violence suggests a worsening crisis with consequences beyond the country.
“Early warning signs of a Muslim-on-Christian war are brewing across Africa,” he wrote, adding that Nigeria sits at the centre of that danger.
The former envoy also raised alarms about foreign involvement in Nigeria’s security space, cautioning that support from countries such as “China, Russia, Turkey and Saudi Arabia” could aggravate instability if not carefully monitored. He warned that failure to intervene decisively could allow the violence to escalate into mass atrocities similar to those witnessed in Iraq.
In a separate prepared testimony, Schneck said freedom of religion or belief is facing a “historic crisis” worldwide, driven by authoritarianism, religious nationalism and weak governance.
“Freedom of religion or belief is in crisis in the contemporary world. Whether measured structurally in culture, institutions and laws, or in the sheer number of incidents, persecution is increasing across the globe,” Schneck wrote in his personal capacity.
He identified Nigeria, Syria and Sudan as countries where fragile state institutions and widespread insecurity have created dangerous conditions for religious communities.
“Nigeria, Syria, and Sudan are current examples of such conditions threatening freedom of religion or belief.
“Both Nigeria and Syria are experiencing high levels of societal insecurity and their respective governments have been unable to halt widespread violence against communities of faith.
“Both have what were previously designated as Entities of Particular Concern operating within their borders,” he wrote.
According to Schneck, such environments allow armed groups and criminal networks to exploit religious identities, resulting in killings, displacement and prolonged instability.
He also criticised the US government’s implementation of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, arguing that Washington’s actions have fallen short of its stated commitments.
“If we are to take the International Religious Freedom Act as our measure, then the United States is not doing enough.
“We have been long on rhetoric and short on substance, consistency and effectiveness,” he said.
Schneck expressed concern over delays in the release of US State Department religious freedom reports and the absence of updated designations of Countries of Particular Concern (CPCs).
“The State Department has still not made its designations of Countries of Particular Concern, Special Watch List, or Entities of Particular Concern. President Biden’s 2023 designations were to have lapsed at the end of 2025.
“Apparently, Nigeria, thanks to its unique designation by President Trump, is the only country in the world currently designated as a Country of Particular Concern and there are no designated Special Watch List countries or Entities of Particular Concern. This is very concerning at a time when countries like China and Iran are engaged in ever more repressive actions against people of faith,” he noted.
He cautioned against narrowing religious freedom advocacy to Christian persecution alone, stressing the universality of international human rights protections.
“International religious freedom, as defined in human rights law, is universal,” Schneck stated. “Selective advocacy undermines both effectiveness and legitimacy.”
He added that recent US responses have prioritised symbolism over sustained engagement.
“The administration has relied on high-profile events (such as a one-off Tomahawk strike on Nigeria) and social media declarations rather than sustained, country-specific strategies.
“Religious freedom violations are deeply embedded in legal systems, security practices, and social norms; addressing them requires long-term engagement, multilateral coordination, and careful diplomacy. Early efforts seem to have prioritised visibility over durability,” he said.
Nigeria was redesignated last year by US President Donald Trump as a Country of Particular Concern over alleged violations of religious freedom, a move that was accompanied by warnings of possible US military action. The designation was followed by US strikes on terrorist hideouts in Sokoto on Christmas Day.
The Federal Government of Nigeria, however, has consistently rejected claims of systemic persecution of Christians, insisting that insecurity affects Nigerians across all religious and ethnic lines.
On November 20, 2025, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth hosted Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, at the Pentagon for talks on coordinated responses to the crisis. In December, Ribadu disclosed that a US congressional delegation had visited Abuja as part of ongoing bilateral security engagements.
According to the NSA, discussions focused on “counter-terrorism cooperation, regional stability,” and ways to “strengthen the strategic security partnership between Nigeria and the United States.”
Last month, officials from both countries also held a plenary session of the Nigeria–US Joint Working Group on Nigeria’s designation as a Country of Particular Concern.
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