President Donald Trump shone the brightest spotlight possible on the dire situation in Nigeria, where Christians continue to be slaughtered by Muslims by the thousands. While the killings have been going on for years, it is Republicans in Washington, D.C. that appear poised to finally address the persecution and slaughter head on.
For context, and while numbers vary, estimates range from a staggering 50,000 to 100,000 systematic and targeted killings of Christians just since Barack Obama entered office. Tens of thousands of churches have been burned and destroyed. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) has declared the crisis as a “religious genocide” and President Trump stated bluntly that “Christianity is facing an existential threat” in the African nation.
The Christian Tribune even covered how reliable Democrat Bill Maher, on his own show, ran his guests and audience down a terrifying list of figures as it relates to his own tally of the horrific plight of Christians at the hands of Muslim radical extremists. “They are systematically killing the Christians in Nigeria,” Maher declared on his show. “They’ve killed over 100,000 since 2009 they burned 18,000 churches. This is so much more. These are their Islamists, Boko Haram.”
And so in a viral October 31st post to Truth Social, President Trump declared a new status for the country of Nigeria, where he said Christians ‘face an existential threat.’ He called for leading Republicans in Congress to look into this systematic slaughter and went on to say that America stands by ready to help suffering Christians.
“Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter. I am hereby making Nigeria a “COUNTRY OF PARTICULAR CONCERN” — But that is the least of it. When Christians, or any such group, is slaughtered like is happening in Nigeria (3,100 versus 4,476 Worldwide), something must be done!” the president wrote.
“I am asking Congressman Riley Moore, together with Chairman Tom Cole and the House Appropriations Committee, to immediately look into this matter, and report back to me. The United States cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening in Nigeria, and numerous other Countries. We stand ready, willing, and able to save our Great Christian population around the World!” he added.
Much like Maher, Senator Cruz also recently spoke about killings and church burnings. Speaking to Fox News, he said that “since 2009, over 50,000 Christians in Nigeria have been massacred” while adding that “over 20,000 churches and Christian schools have been destroyed.” He went on to boldly aver that what was happening in Nigeria was “religious genocide.”
In a press release from the Texas senator’s website, an overview of the Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act of 2025 was shared. The purpose of the bill was to protect “Christians and other religious minorities being persecuted in Nigeria by holding accountable Nigerian officials who facilitate Islamist jihadist violence and the imposition of blasphemy laws.”
Going further, the bill specifically outlined four major actions should it pass. “Impose targeted sanctions against Nigerian officials who facilitate violence against Christians and other religious minorities, including by Islamist terrorist groups. Impose targeted sanctions against Nigerian officials who enforce sharia and blasphemy laws. Require the Secretary of State to designate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern. Require the Secretary of State to ensure that Boko Haram and ISIS-West Africa remain designated as Entities of Particular Concern.”