Representatives from multiple human rights and religious liberty organizations joined the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom in urging Congress to take action regarding ongoing persecution in Nigeria.
Randel Everett, founding president of 21Wilberforce and a former executive director of the Baptist General Convention of Texas, and Brent Leatherwood, president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, were among more than two dozen faith leaders, human rights advocates and former U.S. lawmakers who signed a letter to Congress regarding religious persecution in Nigeria.
RELATED: Check out more stories on the persecuted church here.
The letter — entered into the Congressional Record on Dec. 12—calls for Nigeria to be designated a Country of Particular Concern by the U.S. Department of State and for the appointment of a special envoy for Nigeria and the Lake Chad Region.
Under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, the CPC designation is reserved for nations that engage in or tolerate “systemic, ongoing and egregious violations” of religious freedom.
The State Department failed to include Nigeria in its annual CPC list in 2021 and 2022 after including it in the 2020 list. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom repeatedly has recommended CPC status for Nigeria since 2009.
‘Slaughter’ of Christians in Nigeria
The letter specifically urges members of Congress to support HR 82 — introduced by Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., and Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas — that calls on the State Department to designate Nigeria as a CPC and to appoint the special envoy.
“A staggering 90% of all the Christians killed for their faith worldwide last year were killed in Nigeria, according to Open Doors, an increase from the 80% it reported in 2021,” the letter to Congress stated.
It pointed out 5,000 Christians were reported to have been killed for their faith in 2022.
“Most of this slaughter is now carried out by militants within the Fulani Muslim herder population, who have been allowed to act largely with impunity,” the letter stated, adding terrorist groups such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa also have attacked and killed “thousands.”
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Ken Camp and originally published by the Baptist Standard.
