Nigeria’s mounting religious freedom crisis has again come under the spotlight as the Global Coalition for Freedom of Religion in Nigeria (GCFRN) urged the National Assembly to confront what it called “widespread, documented violations” affecting minority groups across the country.
The coalition’s call follows the United States’ decision to redesignate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC)—a label reserved for nations that commit or tolerate severe violations of religious liberty. Rather than dispatching a delegation to Washington to defend Nigeria’s record, GCFRN urged Senate President Godswill Akpabio and House Speaker Tajudeen Abbas to “fix the problems at home first.”
According to the 2025 USCIRF report, Christians in several northern states continue to face systemic discrimination, including enforcement of blasphemy laws, the imposition of Sharia-based restrictions, school closures, targeted killings, and the destruction of churches. These patterns, the report warns, are deepening sectarian divisions and raising alarm internationally.
GCFRN noted that Christian communities still struggle to obtain land for worship centres and face discriminatory barriers in access to education.
The group also highlighted ongoing threats from Boko Haram and ISWAP, alongside the unresolved cases of abducted girls such as Leah Sharibu and those taken during the Chibok school attack.
The coalition accused government institutions of failing to act—or acting too slowly—in cases of religiously motivated violence. Citing incidents like the killings of Deborah Emmanuel in Sokoto and Eunice Olawale in Abuja, as well as the destruction of churches during the 2011 post-election unrest, GCFRN warned that impunity has become “a dangerous norm.”
To reverse the trend, GCFRN proposed a set of urgent reforms: repealing blasphemy laws; guaranteeing equal access to land for churches; protecting students from compulsory religious indoctrination; dismantling Hisbah and Sharia policing structures; reclaiming insurgent-controlled territories; and ensuring the rescue of abducted girls.
It also recommended amending the Human Rights Commission Act to establish a dedicated religious freedom monitoring unit.
The coalition cautioned that continued inaction could push Nigeria further into diplomatic isolation while deepening fear and marginalisation at home. “The time for deflection is over. What Nigeria needs now is decisive legislative and executive action,” the statement said.
GCFRN reaffirmed its readiness to collaborate with lawmakers by providing data, case files, and evidence needed to drive meaningful reform.
The statement was endorsed by top religious freedom advocates, including Emmanuel Ogebe of the Justice for Jos Project; Hon. Rimamnde Shawulu Kwewum of the Middle Belt Dialogue; Dr. Sam Amadi of the Christian Network for Justice and Community; and Rev. Dr. Gideon Para-Mallam of The Para-Mallam Peace Foundation, among others.
