Former presidential media aide, Bashir Ahmad, has criticised Nigerians who, according to him, lobbied for the United States to designate Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC), saying their actions have now placed the nation in serious trouble.
Ahmad, who served as a digital media aide to former President Muhammadu Buhari, made the remarks on Friday following the decision by U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration to redesignate Nigeria as a CPC over allegations of widespread killings of Christians in the country.
In a post on his official X (formerly Twitter) handle, Ahmad accused some Nigerian pastors and activists of collaborating with certain U.S. officials to push for the classification, which he said could result in sanctions and harm Nigeria’s security and diplomatic relations.
“Finally, some of our own countrymen, with the help of certain U.S. officials, have landed us in this mess,” Ahmad wrote. “Nigeria has almost solely relied on the United States in its fight against terrorism, purchasing the majority of our sophisticated weapons from them. Now, with the new sanctions, how are we supposed to effectively confront the very same terrorists committing these atrocities?”
The CPC designation is one of the most serious religious freedom violations under U.S. law and often leads to diplomatic restrictions or military sanctions on affected countries.
Nigeria was previously listed as a country of particular concern in 2020, during Trump’s first administration, but was later removed from the list by President Joe Biden in 2021. The recent redesignation marks a return to that controversial status.
Trump, in a social media statement on Friday, said Christianity in Nigeria faced an existential threat, alleging that thousands of Christians had been killed this year alone.
“Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter,” Trump claimed. “When Christians, or any such group, are being killed in Nigeria — something must be done.”
He called on U.S. lawmakers, including Congressman Riley Moore and House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole, to urgently investigate the killings and take legislative action.
Reports indicate that the redesignation follows pressure from U.S. conservative and Christian groups, who claimed that about 7,000 Christians have been killed in Nigeria this year alone. However, Nigerian officials have dismissed those figures as exaggerated and misleading.
The Federal Government of Nigeria has repeatedly maintained that the country’s security challenges — including insurgency, banditry, and communal conflicts are not religiously motivated but driven by criminality, poverty, and extremism.
Foreign Affairs officials in Abuja said the government was studying the U.S. decision and would issue an official response after consultations.
Ahmad’s statement reflects growing concern among Nigerians that the designation could affect the country’s access to U.S. military equipment and counterterrorism support, which are crucial in ongoing operations against Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) insurgents in the North-East.
Nigeria has, over the years, relied on U.S.-made aircraft and intelligence-sharing partnerships to combat terrorism. Sanctions or policy restrictions could therefore have serious implications for those efforts.
Ahmad’s criticism of Nigerian pastors appears to reference a series of letters and campaigns by some Christian leaders in the diaspora who, earlier this year, urged the U.S. government to pressure Nigeria on alleged persecution of Christians.
