Petition to Put Nigeria Back on the Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) List Immediately
A petition of: RevelationMedia and Alliance Defending Freedom
Addressed to: President Joe Biden
WE THE UNDERSIGNED WOULD LIKE TO BRING YOUR ATTENTION TO THE FOLLOWING PROBLEM, WITH RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ACTION:
Since President Biden and his administration removed Nigeria from the Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) religious persecution list last year, the persecution of Christians taking place in Nigeria has been severe and continues to increase.
Removing Nigeria from the CPC list has led to the emboldening of Islamic terrorists, radical militants, and other extremists who kill, torture, and abduct Christians, as well as Muslims who reject extremism. Adding Nigeria back to the CPC list will send a powerful message that the religious persecution taking place in Nigeria is unacceptable.
As Americans, we enjoy the benefits of religious freedom, and we see the value in preserving our individual right to worship and living out our faith as we feel we ought. But for millions of Christians throughout Nigeria, but especially in the North and Middle Belt, they live in fear that they might be the next victims of horrific violence.
In the months of January 2021 to March 2022, over 6,000 Christians have been martyred in Nigeria, facing death by being shot, hacked to pieces, and burned alive. According to Open Doors’ 2022 World Watch List on the global persecution of Christians, “4,650 Christians were killed in Nigeria between November 2020 and October 2021, higher than 3,530 deaths recorded in the previous year.”
Christians are also facing increased rates of being abducted, with “2,500 Christians . . . abducted between November 2020 and October 2021 as against 900 abducted in the previous year.” The International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) cites an even higher rate of abductions, finding that no fewer than 3,800 Christians were abducted in Nigeria in 2021 alone. If the persecution was intense enough for Nigeria in 2020 to be placed on the CPC list then, it makes no sense to leave them off the list now, as the situation has only grown worse.
The killings must stop. The torture must stop. The least we can do as Americans is take a stand by acknowledging the very real evil taking place in Nigeria at this time. We cannot condone this violence by turning a blind eye any longer. We the undersigned petition President Joe Biden and his administration to add Nigeria back to the CPC list immediately.
