The full video of Bishop Wilfred Chikpa Anagbe of the Catholic Diocese of Makurdi, Benue State, has surfaced online. The footage captures his February 14, 2024, address to the United States House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, where he detailed what he described as the “genocidal persecution of Christians” in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, particularly Benue State.
The Bishop, accompanied by Reverend Father Remigius Ihyula, presented what he called evidence of systematic attacks by ethnic Fulani jihadists on Christian farming communities—alleging massacres, kidnappings, church burnings, and the seizure of ancestral lands.
During his testimony, Bishop Anagbe described a disturbing pattern of violence targeting Christians across Nigeria’s northern and central regions. According to him, there appears to be a deliberate plan “to reduce and eventually eliminate the Christian identity” of the country.
He further lamented the closure of several Catholic parishes within his diocese and the growing number of displaced persons resulting from the activities of armed Fulani herdsmen.
Appealing to the US House Foreign Affairs Committee, Anagbe urged Washington to redesignate Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern (CPC)” under the US International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) of 1998. He argued that such a move would compel the Nigerian government to take greater responsibility for the safety and rights of Christians.
The Bishop also raised concerns about the rising cases of kidnappings of Catholic priests in northern Nigeria, claiming that many of these abductions are “for reasons other than ransom.” He added that all schools, including Catholic institutions, were forcefully closed during the Ramadan period in some northern states.
Highlighting the plight of internally displaced persons (IDPs), Anagbe criticized government plans to relocate them rather than facilitate their return to ancestral lands now allegedly occupied by Islamist militants.
“Concretely, I request and I plead, I ask you to redesignate Nigeria as a country of particular concern,” he said. “This has both a practical and diplomatic meaning, to signal that you are paying attention to what happens to us and elsewhere in the world.”
He added that current government resettlement policies are “not durable” and “will not work,” questioning how the authorities plan to sustain millions already living in IDP camps.
The redesignation came after months of lobbying by US lawmakers and advocacy groups who accused the Nigerian government of failing to address targeted attacks against Christians by extremist groups.
Although Nigeria was initially listed as a CPC in December 2020, the designation was lifted in 2021 by the Joe Biden administration, which argued that progress had been made and that continued diplomatic engagement was a better approach.
The CPC status is a formal designation under the US International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 for nations found to be engaging in or tolerating “systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom.”
Such violations include torture or inhuman treatment based on religion, prolonged detention without charge, enforced disappearances, and other severe denials of basic human rights tied to one’s faith.
Once designated as a CPC, the US government is required to consider a range of policy responses—beginning with diplomatic engagement and public condemnation, and potentially escalating to economic sanctions. These sanctions could include restrictions on security or development aid, blocking loans from international institutions, or limiting trade and export licenses.
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Source: The Eagle Online
