A fresh push is emerging in Washington to keep Nigeria under the United States’ Country of Particular Concern (CPC) designation, with  Congressman Riley Moore arguing that the country’s continued violence against Christian communities makes any removal premature.

Moore, a member of the US Congress, made his position known in a post on his official X account while reacting to comments from the US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs.

His intervention followed a deadly attack in Plateau State, where more than 24 people were reportedly killed and several others remained missing.

“We absolutely CANNOT remove the CPC designation from Nigeria while radical Islamic terrorists continue this horrific violence against Christians,” the Congressman wrote.

“@AsstSecStateAF is right. The Nigerian government must meet its commitments to protect innocent Christian communities,” Moore declared.

The US Bureau of African Affairs had earlier condemned the Plateau attack, expressing concern over the latest violence in Nigeria’s Middle Belt and urging the Federal Government to strengthen protection for vulnerable communities.

“The United States is horrified by yet another murderous attack in the Middle Belt of Nigeria, killing dozens of people asleep in their homes in Plateau State.

“This is especially troubling coming on the heels of the recent CPC Working Group meeting. We extend our deepest condolences to the families of those missing and killed, and we strongly urge the Nigerian government to meet their commitments to protect Christian communities and to hold perpetrators of violence accountable,” the Bureau said.

Moore’s comments could further intensify pressure on the Trump administration ahead of the next review of Nigeria’s CPC status, particularly as attacks continue to be reported across Plateau, Benue and other parts of the Middle Belt.

The Nigerian government, however, has consistently rejected claims that the violence is primarily driven by religious persecution, maintaining that many of the conflicts are linked to land disputes, competition over resources and criminality.

Nigeria was first designated a CPC by the US in 2020 under the International Religious Freedom Act. The country was removed from the list in 2021 but remained under scrutiny by the US State Department.

The Trump administration restored Nigeria to the CPC list last year, prompting the two countries to establish a joint working process to examine religious-freedom concerns and measures being taken by Abuja.

With the CPC designation subject to an annual review and the next review expected in November, Moore’s latest declaration places Nigeria’s security situation and treatment of Christian communities firmly back at the centre of the debate in Washington.