In recent weeks, the southeastern Nigerian state of Benue has experienced severe violence, resulting in the deaths of over 70 Christians and the kidnapping of 20 medical students. The attacks have intensified calls for the U.S. Department of State (DOS) to designate Nigeria as a "country of particular concern" for severe religious freedom violations.
On August 8, herdsmen, aided by local bandits, attacked the predominantly Christian village of Ayati in the Ukum Local Government Area, killing at least 74 people. This incident is part of a broader pattern of violence in the region, where Christian communities face attacks from Fulani herdsmen and Islamist insurgencies such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State’s West African Province. Over the past 15 years, more than 50,000 Christians have been killed, including many Catholic priests.
Reports indicate that the herdsmen, who were reportedly paid by bandits to graze cattle on local land, returned to Ayati to carry out the massacre after being previously expelled by the villagers. The community is still searching for missing individuals, and the death toll may rise.
In a separate incident on August 15, 20 medical students from the Nigerian Medical Association were abducted in Benue state while traveling to a conference organized by the Federation of Catholic Medical and Dental Students in Enugu. The Nigerian Medical Association's Secretary-General, Benjamin Egbo, has urged the Nigeria Police Force to use all available resources to secure their safe return.
Nathan Berkeley from the Religious Freedom Institute described Nigeria as "the most dangerous place in the world to be a Christian," highlighting the violence by bandits, herdsmen, and Islamist groups. Despite these issues, the U.S. government has not designated Nigeria as a country of particular concern for religious freedom violations. In January, the DOS omitted Nigeria from its list of CPCs, attributing the violence to "intercommunal clashes" rather than systematic persecution.
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has renewed its call for Nigeria's designation as a CPC, citing the Nigerian government's tolerance of violence against religious groups and the enforcement of restrictive laws in the northern part of the country.
Critics, including Nina Shea of the Hudson Institute, argue that the Nigerian government, led by Muslim officials, passively allows such violence to continue with impunity. They suggest that there is an ongoing effort to forcefully Islamize central Nigeria, with Christian communities being targeted and government failures in prosecuting those responsible.
Douglas Burton, a former State Department official, contends that minimizing these conflicts as mere resource disputes is misleading. He believes the State Department's reluctance to label Nigeria as a CPC is driven by economic interests aimed at maintaining a favorable trade relationship between the U.S. and Nigeria.