IV 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 860 
Commending President Trump for Redesignating Nigeria a Country of Par-
ticular Concern due to Nigeria’s engagement in and tolerating systematic, 
ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom, and for other 
purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 4, 2025 
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey (for himself and Mr. HUIZENGA) submitted the fol-
lowing resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Af-
fairs, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period 
to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consider-
ation of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 
concerned 
RESOLUTION 
Commending President Trump for Redesignating Nigeria a 
Country of Particular Concern due to Nigeria’s engage-
ment in and tolerating systematic, ongoing, and egre-
gious violations of religious freedom, and for other pur-
poses. 
Whereas, for over a decade, Islamic terror organizations have 
carried out mass murder, rape, kidnappings, and other 
atrocities targeting mostly Nigerian Christians and non- 
Fulani moderate Muslim populations, resulting in mass 
displacement and destruction of places of worship, in 
what appears to be a concerted effort for a Fulani-con- 
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•HRES 860 IH 
trolled empire modeled upon the caliphate in northern 
Nigeria established by Usman dan Fodio, in the late 18th 
and early 19th century; 
Whereas prominent Christian and Muslim leaders have been 
kidnapped or assassinated, including priests, pastors, and 
imams who advocate for religious tolerance; 
Whereas religious leaders, such as Father Remigius Iyhula 
and Bishop Wilfred Anagbe who testified on March 12, 
2025 at a hearing of the House Foreign Affairs Com-
mittee about the persecution and targeted killings of 
Christians in the Diocese of Makurdi, have faced intimi-
dation, threats, and harassment from both extremist 
groups and government authorities; 
Whereas the 2023 Watch List released in January by Open 
Doors, the interdenominational foundation that supports 
persecuted Christians throughout the world, indicates 
that Nigeria accounts for 89 percent of Christians mar-
tyred worldwide; 
Whereas northern Nigeria has seen the destruction of ‘‘over 
18,000 churches since 2009’’ in attacks by Boko Haram 
militants, Fulani herdsmen, and others, according to a 
2023 Vatican report, and in 2021, the Department of 
State reported five attacks on mosques by unidentified 
gunmen, bandits, and Boko Haram; 
Whereas an August 2024 report from the Observatory of Re-
ligious Freedom in Africa found that approximately 
56,000 people died in attacks and about 22,000 people 
were abducted by terror groups in Nigeria between Octo-
ber 2019 and September 2023. 
Whereas ethnic and religiously inspired violence occurring in 
Nigeria is causing unspeakable suffering and the forced 
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•HRES 860 IH 
relocation of between 3.5 to 5 million internally displaced 
persons (IDPs) in northeastern Nigeria, and 343,000 
registered Nigerian refugees in the Lake Chad region; 
Whereas, in 2020, the Department of State designated Nige-
ria a CPC pursuant to the International Religious Free-
dom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6401 et seq.); 
Whereas, in 2021, 2022, and 2023, the Department of State 
omitted Nigeria from its CPC list and in 2024 did not 
release a CPC list nor its [congressionally-mandated] an-
nual International Religious Freedom Report; 
Whereas the U.S. Commission on International Religious 
Freedom recommended redesignating Nigeria a CPC four 
years in a row from 2021 to 2024 and said ‘‘[t]here is 
no justification’’ as to why the State Department con-
tinues to fail to redesignate Nigeria as a CPC; 
Whereas, on March 23, 2023, then-Secretary of State Antony 
Blinken testified to the House Committee on Foreign Af-
fairs refusing to explain the decision to remove the CPC 
designation for Nigeria, given by the previous Adminis-
tration; 
Whereas, on May 22, 2024, then-Secretary of State Antony 
Blinken testified to the House Committee on Appropria-
tions that the killings of Christian farmers in Nigeria 
‘‘has nothing to do with religion,’’ a categorical statement 
which is inconsistent with readily discernable evidence; 
Whereas multiple media reports, including from BBC, CNN, 
and Reuters, have highlighted religious persecution, at-
tacks on houses of worship, and the Government of Nige-
ria has been unwilling to effectively investigate and pros-
ecute perpetrators of religiously motivated violence, lead-
ing to a culture of impunity; 
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Whereas blasphemy laws have also been used to target reli-
gious minorities and dissenters with harsh penalties, in-
cluding death sentences; 
Whereas, in 12 northern States, Sharia law is implemented 
alongside secular law, leading to discrimination against 
non-Muslims and even Muslims who do not adhere to 
strict interpretations of Islamic law; 
Whereas the United States and Nigeria are allies and trading 
partners with important, shared security interests; 
Whereas, since FY2020, the United States Government has 
obligated more than $3.53 billion and disbursed more 
than $2.24 billion in non-military foreign assistance to, 
or for use in, Nigeria; 
Whereas, since FY2020, the Department of Defense has obli-
gated in excess of $83,507,253 to provide military and 
security assistance to the Government of Nigeria; 
Whereas the United States foreign policy toward Nigeria 
should consider these factors and justify the purposes for, 
and amounts of, financial assistance provided by the 
United States to and in Nigeria; to identify and justify 
the outcomes of that assistance; and 
Whereas the designation of Nigeria as a CPC will enhance 
diplomatic efforts to encourage the Nigerian government 
to take necessary actions to protect religious minorities 
and uphold fundamental human rights: Now, therefore, 
be it 
Resolved, That it is the Sense of the House of Rep-
resentatives that— 
(1) President Donald J. Trump acted appro-
priately and decisively to redesignate Nigeria as a 
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CPC and hold the Nigerian government accountable 
for its complicity in religious persecution by radical 
Islamists, such as Boko Haram and Fulani terror-
ists; 
(2) The State Department should: 
(a) provide immediate humanitarian assist-
ance directly to faith-based groups to support 
internally displaced people in Nigeria’s middle 
belt states; and 
(b) condition U.S. foreign assistance, in-
cluding through global health programs, to im-
mediately address religious freedom violations 
and develop strategies for long-term peace and 
stability, including the Nigerian government 
taking immediate and effective steps to prevent 
religious persecution, prosecute perpetrators of 
violence, take action to care for the millions of 
internally displaced persons, and uphold con-
stitutional protections for religious freedom; 
(3) The United States, through the Department 
of State and Department of Treasury, should impose 
targeted sanctions, including visa bans and asset 
freezes under the Global Magnitsky framework and 
other restrictive measures, on individuals and enti-
ties responsible for severe violations of religious free-
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dom in Nigeria, including sanctions against Miyetti 
Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria 
(MACBAN) and Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, and 
should place Fulani-Ethnic Militias operating in 
Benue and Plateau States on the Entities of Par-
ticular Concern List under the International Reli-
gious Freedom Act; and 
(4) The United States is committed to pro-
moting religious freedom and human rights as 
foundational principles of U.S. foreign policy. 
Æ 
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