By Joshua Tosin Ogunsakin 
United States President Donald Trump has designated Nigeria a “country of particular concern,” citing what he described as a growing wave of persecution against Christians in the country.
In a post on Truth Social on Friday, Trump claimed that thousands of Christians have been killed by radical Islamist groups and urged U.S. lawmakers to investigate the situation without delay.
The President stressed that America would not stand idle while Christians in Nigeria and other nations face such attacks, adding that the United States is prepared to protect Christian communities around the world.
He said, “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! 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!”
Trump’s remarks come amid rising criticism from American politicians and public figures who accuse the Nigerian government of failing to protect its Christian population from extremist violence.
Recently, U.S. comedian and HBO host Bill Maher alleged that Islamist militants were carrying out a genocide against Christians in Nigeria.
“I’m not a Christian, but they are systematically killing the Christians in Nigeria. They’ve killed over a hundred thousand since 2009. They’ve burnt 18,000 churches. These are the Islamists, Boko Haram. This is so much more of a genocide attempt than what is going on in Gaza.
“They are literally attempting to wipe out the Christian population of an entire country,” Maher said.
Similarly, U.S. Senator Ted Cruz accused Nigerian officials of “ignoring and even facilitating the mass murder of Christians by Islamist jihadists.”
Cruz lamented that Christians in Nigeria are being targeted because of their faith and “are being forced to submit to sharia law and blasphemy laws across Nigeria.”
He said it was “long past time to impose real costs on the Nigerian officials who facilitate these activities,” adding that he had sponsored the Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act in the U.S. Senate to sanction such officials.