BREAKING: US Lawmaker Demands Trump’s Label Nigeria As Country Of Particular Concern, See Why

BREAKING: US Lawmaker Demands Trump’s Label Nigeria As Country Of Particular Concern, See Why

U.S. lawmaker Reiley Moore has renewed his call for former President Donald Trump to classify Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern following reports of the murder of a pastor and the abduction of several church members in Kaduna State.

In a post on X, Mr. Moore condemned the killing of Yahaya Kambasya, pastor of the United Church of Christ in Nigeria (UCCN), also known as HEKAN, describing the incident and the kidnapping of his congregants as “horrific.”

“Horrific news out of northern Nigeria. A pastor was shot and killed, and 20 Christians were abducted. This is the second attack on this same Christian community just this month,” Mr Moore said.

He added, “Enough is enough. It’s time to designate Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern, @SecRubio.”

According to Amos Kiri, the national president of HEKAN, Pastor Kambasya was killed and several church members were abducted on October 28, 2025, in Farin Dutse, Kauru Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

“The attack resulted in the death of Rev. Yahaya Kambasya and the kidnapping of over 20 people; among them are HEKAN members,” Mr Kiri said.

“The bandits invaded the community and started shooting sporadically at locals and whisked away those captured.”

Earlier in October, Mr. Moore, who represents West Virginia’s 2nd District in the U.S. House of Representatives, had written to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, urging the designation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) over religious persecution.

In the same vein, U.S. Senator Ted Cruz has introduced the Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act, aimed at sanctioning Nigerian officials linked to the killing of Christians and the enforcement of so-called “blasphemy laws.”

The U.S. lawmaker cited “reports that corrupt cells of the Nigerian government may be complicit, and even directly involved, in some of these attacks.”

While President Bola Tinubu’s administration has consistently denied allegations of a Christian genocide in Nigeria, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has supported Senator Cruz’s stance, appealing to the international community to step in.