U.S. Launches Effort To Address Christian Persecution in Nigeria

The Trump administration has launched an effort to help protect Nigerian Christians. In response to escalating attacks by armed Islamists, Washington established a joint working group to offer American intelligence and training to Abuja.

The focus on Nigeria is warranted. According to Christian persecution monitor Open Doors, 72 percent of all Christians murdered for their faith last year were in Nigeria.

To launch the working group on January 22, Washington dispatched AFRICOM Deputy Commander Lieutenant General John Brennan to Abuja, aiming to deepen security cooperation and prevent further anti-Christian violence. This joint working group is part of an effort by Washington to force the hand of a seemingly reticent Nigerian government, and comes after President Donald Trump ordered airstrikes on an ISIS affiliate in Nigeria’s northwest on December 25.

Christians Targeted by Terrorist Groups and Militias Alike

While ISIS, Boko Haram, and other Islamist groups conduct some attacks on Christians in Nigeria, Fulani militias are responsible for a disproportionate share of the violence against Christians.

The Fulani are an ethnic group of primarily Muslim herders scattered in the Sahel region. About 17 million live in Nigeria. Though conflicts between the predominantly Muslim Fulani herdsmen and the majority Christian farmers are, in part, economically motivated, there is a clear religious undercurrent to the Fulani militia’s targeting. Any effective counterterrorism strategy must account for the religious element.

Since 2020, 4,407 Christians have been abducted in Nigeria according Open Doors, primarily by Fulani militias, more than twice the number of Muslims who were taken in the same period. Fulani militants are also responsible for some of Nigeria’s worst massacres of Christians in recent years. Hundreds of Fulani militants stormed more than 80 Christian communities a week before Christmas in 2023, killing nearly 200 men, women, and children while reportedly chanting in Arabic, “Allahu Akbar, we will kill all Christians.”

Nigeria Is Failing To Face the Problem

During his visit to Abuja, Brennan met with Nigerian security officials to advance U.S. efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s ability to police its own territory. Brennan framed the engagement as part of a broader strategy to position Nigeria as a “security anchor for all of West Africa,” arguing that improved counterterrorism capacity would deter extremist groups operating across borders, including in Niger and Mali.

International bodies have repeatedly accused the Nigerian government of failing to protect its citizens from lawlessness and violence.

A January 18 attack illustrated these shortcomings. Fulani militants stormed three churches and kidnapped 177 Christians, 11 of whom later escaped. Local Nigerian officials initially denied the incident occurred, resulting in inaccurate reports from major outlets. This incident reflects a broader pattern of denial, negligence, and blame-shifting that has contributed to the persistence anti-Christian violence.

Washington Should Demand Abuja Make Fulani Militias a Priority

Washington has an opportunity to affect real change in Nigeria, but only if it is clear-eyed in diagnosing the full scope of violence in Nigeria. American airstrikes against terror groups like ISIS and Boko Haram are a deterrent, but such measures are less likely to work on Fulani militias, who are geographically dispersed, with their part-time fighters living among civilians.

The United States should continue pressing Nigeria to address the threat by means of security cooperation, intelligence sharing, and diplomatic leverage to ensure Abuja enforces its own laws consistently and credibly. Failure to adequately address internal violence should be met with pressure on the Nigerian government.

Mariam Wahba is a research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), where Sam Ben-Ur is a research analyst. For more analysis from the authors and FDD, please subscribe HERE. Follow FDD on X @FDD. Follow Mariam on X @themariamwahba and Sam @realSamuelBenUr. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on foreign policy and national security.