The United States chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has requested to testify before the US House Subcommittee on Africa on Thursday, as lawmakers review President Donald Trump’s designation of Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) over alleged religious persecution.
In a letter to Subcommittee Chairman Representative Chris Smith, APC USA indicated that it was prepared to provide a high-level delegation to present what it described as “firsthand intelligence and verifiable data” on Nigeria’s security situation.
APC USA Chairman, Professor Tai Balofin, said that the group aims to clarify what it sees as misconceptions regarding the nation’s challenges.
“We support religious freedom for all Nigerians, but narratives abroad often fail to reflect the full complexity of the crisis,” Balofin said. “The insecurity in Nigeria is driven by banditry, resource conflict, climate pressures and transnational crime — not solely by religious persecution. Congress deserves the complete picture before reaching conclusions.”
Balofin added that the proposed testimony would point out security gains under the President Bola Tinubu’s administration, as well as “progress in degrading terrorist networks, improvements in early-warning systems, and stronger interfaith engagement,” based on reports from Nigerian authorities and international monitors.
The delegation also intends to recommend deeper cooperation between the US and Nigeria on security, intelligence sharing, and humanitarian support.
The request follows Nigeria’s criticism of a recent UN event, hosted by American rapper Nicki Minaj, which addressed alleged killings of Nigerians from a particular faith group. Nigeria’s chargé d’affaires to the UN, Syndoph Endoni, described the exclusion of Nigerian representatives as “shaving our head in our absence,” noting that meaningful dialogue requires the participation of the country at the centre of such allegations.
The Subcommittee is scheduled to convene at 11 a.m. in Room 2172 of the Rayburn House Office Building to examine Nigeria’s CPC redesignation. Witnesses expected to testify include senior US State Department officials Jonathan Pratt and Jacob McGee, the Director of the Centre for Religious Freedom Nina Shea, Bishop Wilfred Anagbe of the Makurdi Catholic Diocese, and Oge Onubogu of the Centre for Strategic & International Studies. The session will consider the extent of religious persecution in Nigeria and potential policy responses, including sanctions or humanitarian interventions.
The CPC designation, imposed by President Trump on 31 October 2025, cited alleged targeted killings of Christians and warned that continued violence could lead to restrictions on US aid or military intervention.
President Tinubu has rejected the claims, stating, “Nigeria stands firmly as a democracy governed by constitutional guarantees of religious liberty. The characterisation of Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our national reality. Religious freedom and tolerance remain core to our identity.”