The Southern Kaduna Christian Leaders Association (SKCLA) has described the recent decision by United States President Donald Trump to designate Nigeria as a “Country of Concern” over alleged religious persecution as a “welcome development and a long-overdue moment of truth.”
The group said the move, though controversial, has finally drawn international attention to what it called years of neglect, discrimination, and targeted attacks against Christians and ethnic minorities in northern Nigeria.
In a strongly worded statement issued on Tuesday and signed by its chairman, Apostle Emmanuel Nuhu Kure, SKCLA accused successive Nigerian governments of failing to protect vulnerable communities and turning a blind eye to violence and injustice in the region.
Apostle Kure said the U.S. government’s action was not an insult to Nigeria’s sovereignty but rather a mirror reflecting uncomfortable truths that the country has refused to face.
“For far too long, Christians in the North have been abandoned by the very nation that should protect them,” Kure said. “At last, someone, somewhere, has taken notice of the plight of Christians in Northern Nigeria — a plight our own government has consistently failed to acknowledge, let alone address.”
He accused northern political and religious elites, as well as some southern leaders, of paying lip service to peace and equality while minorities in the North continue to suffer systematic marginalisation.
“The rewriting of the history of northern minorities continues,” he said. “Our lands are seized, quotas stolen, traditional institutions debased, and political representation denied. Yet, people pretend that all is well.”
The SKCLA chairman further alleged that open religious discrimination persists in many public institutions and cities across northern Nigeria.
“In many northern cities and institutions of learning such as Bayero University and Sokoto University, churches are not permitted to be built while mosques abound,” Kure claimed. “This encourages jihadist ideologies that are hostile to the Christian faith.”
He said this situation creates a sense of two separate governments within one country — one for the North and another for the South — and questioned why such double standards are allowed to continue in a modern democracy.
“What tradition or law allows one part of the country to oppress the other in this modern time? These are the realities that the Trump question is raising, and the government must answer,” he stated.
Apostle Kure urged the Federal Government to stop denying the reality of religious persecution and to immediately set up a credible, independent inquiry made up of “courageous and impartial Nigerians” to investigate the allegations.
He said such an inquiry was necessary to examine claims of forced marriages, destruction of Christian communities, and the sponsorship and protection of armed groups who have repeatedly attacked villages in the Middle Belt and northern regions.
“The killings in Benue and Plateau States, where there is no evidence of theft or criminality, reveal a scorched-earth campaign targeted at persecuted Christian communities,” he lamented. “The persistent killing of pastors in Southern Kaduna, the neglect of dangerous roads, and the half-hearted measures in Borno all prove that there is knowledge of the truth, but no political will to confront it.”
The SKCLA chairman also called on church leaders across the country to speak out more boldly against injustice and discrimination.
“It is time for the Church to rise,” he said. “We must call on the government to provide a level playing field for all religions to practice freely. The church is not speaking enough, and the government is not properly advised, despite the many Christians in government.”
Kure acknowledged that some local governments, including the Kaduna State Government, have taken “baby steps” toward reform and peaceful coexistence. He commended those efforts and expressed hope that they would grow into a “model of fairness and justice for the entire North.”
In October, President Donald Trump reintroduced Nigeria’s designation as a “Country of Particular Concern (CPC)” under the U.S. International Religious Freedom Act. The designation is reserved for countries where governments or groups engage in “systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom.”
Nigeria was first placed on the CPC list in 2020, during Trump’s first term, after reports of increasing attacks on Christian communities by armed herdsmen, Boko Haram insurgents, and other extremist groups.
The administration of President Joe Biden later removed Nigeria from the list in 2021, sparking criticism from religious groups who said persecution had not stopped.
Trump’s decision to restore the designation in his second term has reignited debate across Nigeria. While some Nigerians see it as a foreign intrusion into domestic affairs, others, especially Christian groups in the North, view it as overdue recognition of their suffering.
In the statement, Apostle Kure said that Trump’s controversial stance may have come as an act of divine intervention meant to force African leaders to reflect on their failures.
“In spite of his many contradictions, Trump has become, perhaps, a hand of divine correction,” he said. “He is compelling nations to look inward. Britain, too, must share in this reflection, because it bears part of the foundational errors that have kept Nigeria divided since independence.”
He said the debate about whether the U.S. action amounted to “external interference” missed the point. “Something must challenge the recklessness of African leaders who continually mortgage the future of their people,” he argued. “Africa still has a chance to rise, and that rebirth must begin with Nigeria.”
The SKCLA warned that time was running out for Nigerian leaders to take meaningful action to end persecution, restore equality, and rebuild trust among divided communities.
“Our leaders must act, whether our plundering politicians are ready or not, time is running out,” Kure said. “The moment of reckoning is now.”
He appealed to the federal and state governments to treat the U.S. designation not as an embarrassment but as an opportunity to correct long-standing injustices.
For now, the SKCLA and other advocacy groups in Northern Nigeria say they will continue to push for truth and justice, hoping that both local and international attention will help bring lasting peace to communities long torn apart by violence and discrimination.
