Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
United States Congressman Riley Moore has firmly opposed any move by the US Department of State to remove Nigeria from its Country of Particular Concern designation, insisting that the Trump administration must not repeat what he described as the "mistake" of the Biden administration, which lifted the tag in 2021 only for violence against Christians to escalate. Moore, a Republican representing West Virginia's 2nd Congressional District, made his position known on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, in a post on his official X handle, reacting to the latest attack in Plateau State where gunmen killed at least 24 people in the Bin-Per community of Mangu Local Government Area between Monday midnight and Tuesday. "This is exactly why the @StateDept cannot lift Nigeria's CPC designation," Moore declared. "Christians are being slaughtered across the Middle Belt with impunity. There may be progress in the north, but nothing has changed in the Middle Belt where most attacks against Christians occur".
The Congressman's statement came just days after the second session of the US-Nigeria Joint Working Group on Nigeria's CPC designation, held in Washington on August 12, 2026, where US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker hosted Nigerian National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu for discussions focused on addressing religious-freedom concerns. Hooker had noted that the US remained committed to safeguarding Christian communities and identified concrete steps to protect those facing violence, while pledging to hold countries accountable for ensuring Christians could practise their faith free from threat or persecution. However, Moore pushed back sharply on the assessment, quoting Hooker's statement and adding, "DO NOT remove the CPC designation for Nigeria. They have not done near enough to protect Christians! They continue to get slaughtered!!".
Moore's intervention places significant pressure on the Trump administration to maintain the designation even as Washington and Abuja deepen engagement over religious freedom and security. The Congressman has emerged as one of the most vocal advocates for maintaining pressure on Nigeria over religious freedom, having introduced the Nigeria Religious Freedom and Accountability Act of 2026 in February, which seeks stronger US measures against religious persecution in the country. In November 2025, he also introduced a House resolution condemning the persecution of Christians in Nigeria. Moore warned against repeating what he called the "mistake" of the Biden administration, which removed the CPC designation from Nigeria in 2021 after President Donald Trump's first term, a move he argued led to escalated violence against Christians.
The attack that triggered Moore's latest intervention occurred in the Bin-Per community in Ruff, Kombun District of Mangu Local Government Area, where gunmen stormed the village late at night and opened fire on residents sleeping in their homes, leaving many families displaced and mourning. Community leaders described the assault as "barbaric and senseless" and appealed to both the state and federal governments to deploy more security personnel to protect rural communities that they say have been repeatedly targeted. Women from the community staged a peaceful protest, marching with leaves in their hands and calling for urgent government action to protect their lives and communities. The victims were given a mass burial on Tuesday, while those who sustained injuries were taken to hospitals for treatment.
The US Bureau of African Affairs also condemned the attack, stating, "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". The Bureau extended condolences to the families of those killed and missing and strongly urged the Nigerian government to meet its commitments to protect Christian communities and hold perpetrators of violence accountable. Moore, responding to the Bureau's statement, wrote, "@AsstSecStateAF is right. The Nigerian government must meet its commitments to protect innocent Christian communities". He added, "We absolutely CANNOT remove the CPC designation from Nigeria while radical Islamic terrorists continue this horrific violence against Christians".
Nigeria was first designated a Country of Particular Concern in 2020 under the Trump administration for what the US described as severe violations of religious freedom. The designation, established under the International Religious Freedom Act, is given to countries deemed to have engaged in or tolerated systematic, ongoing, egregious violations of religious freedom. The Biden administration removed Nigeria from the list in 2021, but the country remained under close monitoring by the US State Department. Trump redesignated Nigeria as a CPC on October 31, 2025, and since then, the US-Nigeria Joint Working Group has met twice to review progress made since the designation and to determine the effectiveness of actions being taken by Abuja to address concerns raised by Washington.
The Nigerian government has consistently denied any religious targeting in the conflicts, describing them largely as clashes over land, resources and criminality. However, Moore's latest comments, alongside the Bureau of African Affairs' condemnation, signal renewed pressure from US lawmakers for the Trump administration not to reconsider Nigeria's status amid persistent attacks in Plateau, Benue and other parts of the Middle Belt. The CPC designation is reviewed annually by the State Department and is scheduled for review in November 2026. For Nigeria, the working group offers an opportunity to demonstrate progress to Washington without accepting the CPC designation as a permanent feature of bilateral relations, but Moore's intervention shows that the designation will likely remain politically contentious in Washington even as the two governments seek closer cooperation on security and religious freedom. Meanwhile, the Christian Elders and Professionals Consultative Council of Nigeria has expressed support for concerns raised by the US over the safety of Christian communities and the worsening security situation in Nigeria, further amplifying domestic pressure on the Nigerian government to address the violence that has made the Middle Belt a theatre of bloodshed.
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