USCIRF Chair names Nigeria as top priority due to persistent attacks on religious communities

In an interview with OSV News, Mahmood highlighted the commission's worry about violence from Islamic extremist groups like Boko Haram, noting that Muslim communities are also significantly affected. He also pointed to violence and displacement stemming from disputes between farmers and herders as contributors to insecurity. USCIRF had previously urged the US President, Donald Trump's administration, to redesignate Nigeria as a "country of particular concern" for systemic violations of religious freedom, a designation Trump applied in 2025.

Mahmood emphasized Nigeria's importance as Africa's most populous country with substantial Christian and Muslim populations, expressing the commission's desire to end the "misery and that brutality" and see tangible improvements, including the recovery of kidnapping victims. He stated that the Nigerian government "continues to tolerate and fail to respond to violent attacks against religious communities by non-state actors and expose them to a violent interpretation of Islam," citing USCIRF's 2026 annual report. The commission's assessment is based on the realities faced by families and communities regarding their ability to worship safely.

Mahmood also mentioned that USCIRF has secured a quorum with six commissioners, allowing it to r