7The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Most Rev. Matthew Kukah, has appealed to the United States government not to redesignate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC), warning that such a move would escalate tensions and frustrate ongoing peace efforts.
Kukah made the call on Tuesday at the launch of the 2025 edition of the Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) report on religious freedom, held at the Augustinianum Hall in Vatican City.
“I do believe that today, acts of impunity still persist, but it is my view that redesignating Nigeria a Country of Concern will hurt the initiatives we are working on with the current government to collectively resolve the nagging problems of, first, the persecution of Christians and, of course, the larger issues of ending the mindless killings of our citizens,” Kukah said.
He cautioned that the CPC tag would hinder dialogue between religious leaders and the Nigerian state, adding that it could fuel mistrust and embolden violent groups.
He said, “Designating my country, Nigeria, a Country of Concern will only make our work in the area of dialogue among religious leaders in our country and elsewhere with the Nigerian state even harder.
“It will only increase tensions, sow doubt, open windows of suspicion and fear and simply allow the criminals and perpetrators of violence to exploit.”
Nigeria was first designated a CPC in 2020 during the Trump administration, but the decision was reversed in 2021 by former President Joe Biden.
Recent calls in the US Congress, including a bill sponsored by Senator Ted Cruz, have renewed pressure to relist Nigeria, citing claims of Christian persecution which the Nigerian government continues to reject.
Kukah said the Buhari administration “marked the worst phase in the history of interfaith relations in Nigeria,” citing exclusion of Christians and unchecked violence.
He said the current administration of President Bola Tinubu has made efforts to rebuild national confidence, even though the situation remains fragile.
“Nigerians feel vulnerable and unprotected irrespective of their faiths, ethnicity or social classes,” the bishop said.
He also criticised past US administrations for their role in Nigeria’s fight against Boko Haram, accusing them of obstructing Nigeria’s access to weapons under former President Goodluck Jonathan.
“I believe that the Obama and Biden administrations were complicit in the way they handled the fight against Boko Haram under the presidency of Goodluck Jonathan.
“The country was already making progress.
The decision to block Nigeria’s access to the required weapons to end this violence by the Obama administration and their drive to impose President Buhari on Nigeria pushed back this fight”, he said.
He appealed to President Donald Trump to support Nigeria’s security efforts.
“I therefore appeal to President Donald Trump, who is already working hard to show that a peaceful world is possible with his historic achievement in the Middle East, to lift the ban and allow Nigeria access to the military tools it requires to free our country from the stranglehold of these evil men,” Kukah said.
“I believe this will set us on a course to end the violence that extremist groups and merchants of death have inflicted on us”, he added.
The ACN report tracks religious freedom and persecution in various countries, with the 2025 edition launched against the backdrop of growing global concern over rising religious intolerance.
