Rep. Riley M. Moore, who represents West Virginia’s Second District in the United States House of Representatives, has called on President Donald Trump to impose sanctions on Nigeria over alleged widespread persecution of Christians.
In a letter dated October 6, 2025, and addressed to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Moore urged the Trump administration to immediately designate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) and suspend arms sales and technical support to the Nigerian government.
He argued that such measures were necessary until the Nigerian authorities show a clear commitment to ending what he described as the “reign of persecution and slaughter” against Christians.
Citing figures from various human rights reports, Moore alleged that between January and September 2025 alone, more than 7,000 Christians were killed by “Muslim extremist groups” in Nigeria. He further claimed that at least 250 Catholic priests have been attacked or killed since 2015 and that over 19,000 churches have been destroyed or vandalized since the Boko Haram insurgency began in 2009.
The lawmaker’s call follows similar concerns recently raised by U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, television host Bill Maher, and political commentator Van Jones, all of whom described the killings as a “Christian genocide.”
During a recent podcast appearance, Senator Cruz alleged that Christians were being systematically targeted and murdered in Nigeria, insisting that the situation amounted to genocide.
President Trump had previously designated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern during his first term in office, but the designation was reversed by his successor, former President Joe Biden.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government of Nigeria has dismissed the allegations as misleading.
In a statement, Sunday Dare, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Public Communication, said the claims of religious persecution were false and capable of inciting division.
He described the reports as “wild allegations about an unproven ongoing genocide,” stressing that Nigeria’s security challenges are not religiously motivated but stem from broader criminal and communal factors.
Dare urged both Nigerians and the international community to reject attempts to “robe the country with a garment that is not hers.”