The U.S. State Department will partner with Nigeria to develop a comprehensive action plan addressing allegations of severe Christian persecution, a senior official told a congressional hearing Thursday, following President Donald Trump's recent redesignation of the West African nation as a "Country of Particular Concern".
Jonathan Pratt, a senior official in the Bureau of African Affairs, testified before the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa that the initiative stems from direct instructions by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
"Nigeria has dispatched a high-level delegation this week to engage with U.S. officials on these grave allegations," Pratt said, noting the group's meetings with State Department leaders and Department of Defense representatives, whom Trump has tasked with preparing potential military options.
The delegation is led by National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu and includes Attorney General and Minister of Justice Lateef Fagbemi, along with other top security and foreign affairs figures.
Under Rubio's directive, the State Department aims to establish a task force leveraging "all tools at our disposal" to refocus attention on the crisis, Pratt explained.
While primarily diplomatic, the strategy will encompass security enhancements, policing reforms, economic aid, and broader cooperation programs.
"This spans from security to policing to economic initiatives," Pratt added. "We seek a comprehensive approach for the best possible outcomes."
The hearing, held November 20, 2025, scrutinizes Trump's October 31 CPC designation reviving a label first applied in 2020 but lifted under President Joe Biden which could trigger sanctions on complicit officials and restrictions on U.S. aid if ratified by the Senate.
Jacob McGee, deputy assistant secretary in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, described the CPC status as a "conversation starter" to foster deeper U.S.-Nigeria engagement, emphasizing that "ultimately, this is their responsibility" to safeguard religious freedoms.
The move comes amid escalating reports of violence against Christian communities in Nigeria's Middle Belt and northern regions, attributed to groups like Boko Haram, ISWAP, and Fulani militants, with over 7,000 Christians killed in the first seven months of 2025 alone.
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