Former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Timi Frank, has praised United States President Donald Trump for designating Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) over alleged persistent human rights violations and failure to protect citizens from killings and insecurity.
In a statement issued on Saturday, Frank described the decision as “bold and long overdue”, asserting that it reflected growing international concern over Nigeria’s deteriorating security situation and widespread impunity.
“We commend President Trump for taking this stand. It is long overdue,” Frank said. “By this action, President Trump has shown he cares more about the welfare and safety of ordinary Nigerians than those elected to lead them.”
On Friday, Trump announced the redesignation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern, citing attacks against Christians and alleged government inaction.
“Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter,” Trump stated. “I am hereby making Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern — but that is the least of it.”
The U.S. President said he had requested the U.S. Congress to review the situation and consider further actions to address what he called “a mass slaughter”.
Nigeria was first designated as a CPC during Trump’s presidency in 2020, but President Joe Biden’s administration removed the country from the list in 2021.
Reacting to the development, Nigeria’s Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, maintained that Christians were not being targeted specifically, describing Nigeria as “a multi-religious nation united against terrorism, banditry, and extremism.”
“We are not denying or asking for denial of Nigeria’s security challenges — which we, under President Tinubu’s leadership, are dealing with boldly and decisively,” Idris said days before Trump’s statement. “Instead, we ask to be fully understood and respected as a multi-religious country that is united against all forms of insecurity.”
Frank, however, argued that the Nigerian government’s failure to curb killings and human rights abuses justified the CPC redesignation. He urged the U.S. and its allies to impose targeted sanctions on individuals and officials allegedly complicit in corruption and insecurity.
“The measures should be directed at those directly responsible for the atrocities — not at ordinary Nigerians already suffering from the government’s failures, Christians and non-Christians alike,” he said.
He further accused some officials of profiting from insecurity, claiming that corruption and impunity had become “the twin engines driving the crisis.”
“The truth is that this administration is not interested in ending the killings. Insecurity has become a business for some within the system,” Frank alleged.
The activist called for international measures including visa bans, asset freezes, and restrictions on illicitly acquired wealth abroad to hold responsible officials accountable.
Frank urged the global community to move beyond “polite diplomacy,” insisting that meaningful pressure was needed to end the suffering of ordinary Nigerians.
“The time for polite diplomacy is over. The world must stand with victims, not with those profiting from bloodshed,” he said. “President Trump’s action gives hope to millions of Nigerians who feel abandoned by their own leaders.”
He warned that continued inaction could worsen Nigeria’s humanitarian and economic crises, leading to more deaths, displaced communities, and instability.
“Officials entrusted with protecting lives must be held accountable when they fail,” he added.
Frank expressed gratitude to Trump for what he described as “moral courage” and urged other world leaders to follow suit in standing up for human rights and justice globally.
