US Agency Wants Nigeria, Boko Haram, ISWAP Designated, Sanctions Slammed

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has urged President Donald Trump’s administration to appoint a Special Envoy for Nigeria and the Lake Chad Basin to address religious freedom violations.

In its annual report released in March 2025, USCIRF recommended that the Trump administration “appoint a Special Envoy for Nigeria and the Lake Chad Basin to maximise U.S. diplomatic efforts to address religious freedom violations and atrocity risk in that region.”

The commission also accused the Nigerian government under President Bola Tinubu and various state governments of tolerating or inadequately responding to violent attacks by nonstate actors who justify their violence on religious grounds. These actors include militant groups like Islamist extremists and Fulani militants, who have targeted religious communities across Nigeria.

USCIRF further called on the U.S. State Department to designate Nigeria, alongside Afghanistan, India, and Vietnam, as Countries of Particular Concern (CPCs). Additionally, it recommended redesignating 12 countries, including Burma, China, Cuba, Eritrea, Iran, Nicaragua, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan, as CPCs.

The commission also proposed maintaining Algeria and Azerbaijan on the Special Watch List (SWL) and adding 10 more countries to the list, including Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Syria, Turkey, and Uzbekistan.

Furthermore, USCIRF recommended the redesignation of terrorist groups such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP), also known as ISIS-West Africa, as Entities of Particular Concern (EPCs), along with other groups like al-Shabaab, Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), and the Houthis.

The commission noted that Nigeria’s federal government continues to enforce blasphemy laws, with penalties up to two years’ imprisonment for acts considered insulting to religion.

Several state governments also enforce stricter blasphemy laws, leading to the imprisonment of individuals accused of insulting religion.

At least five prisoners remained incarcerated under blasphemy charges by the end of the year, including Mubarak Bala, Yahaya Sharif-Aminu, Isma’ila Sani Isah, Sheikh Abduljabar Nasiru Kabara, and Abdulazeez Inyass.

The report further highlighted that both Muslim-majority and Christian-majority areas of Nigeria have seen heightened harassment of indigenous religious communities by state governments. For example, in July, the Anambra State government demolished an indigenous shrine after the governor and Catholic bishops called for the elimination of “neo-paganism.”

In 2024, the situation for religious freedom in Nigeria remained poor, with the government failing to address violent actions by nonstate actors, such as Boko Haram and ISWAP. These groups, along with Fulani militants and bandit groups, continue to impose violent attacks on religious communities, targeting Christians in particular.

The report also outlined several incidents of religiously motivated violence, including the killing of 14 people, including a local pastor, by JAS insurgents in Yobe State in January, and the kidnapping of 160 children, mostly Christians, by Ansaru gunmen in Niger State in May.

Despite these ongoing issues, USCIRF criticized the Nigerian government’s response, stating that security forces often delayed action against the violence, leading to injury and death for targeted religious minority communities.

Additionally, an estimated 30,000 Fulani bandits operate in the northwest, often targeting Christian communities and disrupting agricultural production.