A member of the United States House of Representatives, Christopher Smith, has urged the US Department of State to place Nigeria on the list of countries of “Particular Concern” over what he describes as the rising cases of religious prosecution and blasphemy-related killings in the country.

Smith had, in a letter he presented and read on the floor of the US parliament, stated that Nigeria currently had the highest cases of religious persecution globally, with 90 percent of such cases recorded so far.

He added that the religious persecutions which were mostly perpetrated by Fulani Muslim herders have left several people killed, kidnapped and jailed.

The American lawmaker also expressed fears that if religious persecution was allowed to continue to thrive in Nigeria, it may spread to other African countries considering the status of Nigeria as the most populous country in Africa.

“As religious freedom advocates and proponents, and leaders of grassroots organisations with millions of American members, we appeal to you to urgently respond to the Department of State’s failure to adequately address egregious, systematic, and ongoing religious persecution in Nigeria, as required by the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) of 1998,” part of Smith’s letter reads.

Continuing, it said:

“We specifically urge Nigeria’s designation as a Country of Particular Concern under the IRFA and the appointment of a special envoy for Nigeria and the Lake Chad Region.

“Additionally, we urge you to support and co-sponsor the bi-partisan legislation authored by Rep. Chris Smith and Rep. Henry Cuellar House Resolution 82, which calls for the State Department to carry out these two steps.

“A staggering 90 percent of all the Christians killed for their faith worldwide last year were killed in Nigeria, according to Open Doors, an increase from the 80 percent it reported in 2021. Over 5,000 Nigerian Christians are reported to have been killed for their faith in 2022.

“Most of this slaughter is now carried out by militants within the Fulani Muslim herder population, who have been allowed to act with impunity.

“While some Muslims have also been killed by the same forces, the Observatory for Religious Freedom in Africa found that, from October 2019 to September 2022, Christians in Nigeria were 7.6 times more likely to be killed and six times more likely to be abducted than Muslims by terrorist and militia groups, when taking into account their population’s proportions in Nigeria’s states.

“Catholic priests, evangelical pastors, and Methodist bishops have been special targets of kidnapping by Fulani and unidentified gunmen, typically shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’.

“Authorities also engage directly in religious persecution by enforcing Islamic blasphemy laws that have resulted in recent death sentences for Sufi musician Yahaya Sharif-Aminu and two Muslim clerics, and ‘religious insult’ laws that led to a 24-year sentence for Nigeria’s Humanist Association head, Mubarak Bala.

“As Africa’s most populous country and its largest economy, Nigeria wields significant influence in Sub-Saharan Africa.

“By allowing religious persecution to proliferate within its borders, Nigeria is compounding already heightened regional insecurity. Both American interests and the International Religious Freedom Act require a response”.