The United States Government has added Nigeria to its blacklist as one of the countries that have engaged in “severe violations of religious freedom.”
The Trump administration had in December 2019, added Nigeria to a Special Watch List of countries tolerating violent crimes against religious freedom.
The United States Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, had announced on Tuesday in a series of Tweets on his official twitter handle, @SecPompeo that Nigeria has been added to the “blacklist” on violations against religious freedom.
On Tuesday the U.S. designates Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, Nigeria, the DPRK, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan as countries of concern under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 for engaging systematic, ongoing, egregious religious freedom violations.
The U.S. is unwavering in its commitment to religious freedom. No country or entity should be allowed to persecute people with impunity because of their beliefs. These annual designations show that when religious freedom is attacked, we will act.