Ahead of a U.S. Presidential Delegation to the Federal Republic of Nigeria to attend the inauguration of His Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu, U.S. Rep. French Hill (R-AR) urged President Joe Biden to ensure that the delegation reiterates America’s commitment to international religious freedom and addresses the ongoing violence impacting Christians in Nigeria.
“The egregious violence and persecution against Christians in Nigeria still continues today. Just three years ago, Nigeria was a Country of Particular Concern (CPC). Despite little having changed in Nigeria’s treatment of religious freedom since then, the Biden administration continues to leave Nigeria off the CPC list,” said Rep. Hill in a statement. “We must make it clear that the U.S. government condemns what is happening in Nigeria.”
According to the May 25 letter that Rep. Hill and U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) sent to the president, Nigerian Criminal Code still has blasphemy laws on the books, with as many as 12 Nigerian states using Islamic Sharia law alongside the criminal code.
“Nigeria is also the worst country in the world for violence against Christians, with more than 5,000 of them killed in 2022,” they wrote, citing data from Open Doors. “This represents nearly 90 percent of the total number of Christians killed worldwide in 2022.”
The lawmakers also pointed out that Islamic terrorist groups continue to be responsible for the destruction of churches, kidnappings of Christian clergy, and rape, among other atrocities.
“The respect for international religious freedom is a bedrock of American foreign policy,” wrote Rep. Hill and his colleague. “It is critically important that your delegation raise these issues with Nigerian officials when they attend the inauguration.”